Retrieval
by Alcibie
Summary: After the events of Journey's End, Donna tries to rebuild her life but is the past ready to let her go? Contains spoilers
1. Chapter 1

She sat back in the chair, drumming her fingers lightly on the table and watching the three other girls who'd been sent in with her, their eyes fixed on the screens.

"Finished already?" the blond, snooty woman who had shown her into the initial interview came over, a look of barely disguised disbelief on her face. She glanced at the screen and then at the paper by Donna's hand.

"Excellent...that was very fast. How many words per minute did you say?"

Donna shrugged. "Used to be one hundred but I've got faster lately." It was true. Her fingers seemed to have a life of their own when they hit a keyboard these days. Maybe it was a sign that she desperately needed to find something else to do with her life.

"Well, thank you for coming in. We'll be in touch." She was offered a cold hand to shake as she got up and headed out of the room. The last three places had offered her a job and she had a feeling this one would too. But for some reason, she couldn't face the thought of any of them.

Outside, she glanced at the time and tried to decide what to do with the rest of her day. She could head to the Lions Den and see who was there. She had practically lived there for the last five years. No, that wasn't right. The last four years that had led up to the one partially forgotten one. She sighed. Nothing appealed to her these days except maybe going home and lying on her bed, whiling away the afternoon with what she imagined were glimpses into some of that lost time. Nothing major of course. Her mother, her granddad, but minus the solemn expressions they adopted these days when they looked at her.

"Donna?" An excited voice accompanied running footsteps behind her and she turned to see Alice, one of the old crowd of friends, friends that had once been more like family to her. Alice had always been the quiet one, preoccupied with anything strange, paranormal, convinced that she had physic powers. Donna had thought of her during the endless analysis of the supposed invasion and movement of Earth. Alice must have thought she'd died and gone to Heaven.

"Hi," she moved forward into her friend's hug, feeling as she did so much these days, that she was nothing but an observer in her life. Alice squeezed her tightly and moved backwards.

"Where have you been? It's been so long. Tony and Louise said you've rung a few times but none of us knew what you were up to! Are you ok? You look..." She looked closely at her, "you look pale."

"Yeah," Donna tried to laugh it off, "I was in a car accident a few months ago. Don't remember anything about it, or a bit before it, come to that. Just trying to get back on my feet now."

"I never heard anything, sweetheart, I'm so sorry. None of us knew...that's awful..." Alice trailed off and Donna could see her face crease in silent contemplation, trying to think back. It had been her own reaction.

"Yeah, I'm alright now. Headaches and...strange dreams, that's all."

"You poor thing...God Donna, you should have rung me, or got your mother to. We'd have all been to see you, you know that."

Donna nodded and smiled, already feeling awkward, as if she'd told a lie and now felt it was going a bit too far. It was the memory loss. She really remembered nothing about the accident and it got to her. To distract Alice, she said.

"So, what have you been up to? What'd you make of all the invasion stuff, eh? I slept through the whole thing, typical. One interesting thing to happen in years and I miss it. Apparently, I'd more or less sleep for days back then."

"Yeah, no one knows what to make of it anymore. Tell you something though, Donna, it won't be the last time. It just proves that there's so much more going on than we know about. Do you know, I even thought of joining some of those groups who try and track down Torchwood; you know, see if I could get in there somehow? Don't laugh!"

"What's Torchwood?"

"Oh, no one seems to know if they really exist or not. You know, they track down alien life and the paranormal and all that sort of thing. They were at the forefront of everything recently, you can be sure of that. But no one knows very much about...Donna? Donna, what's wrong?"

"Headache," It was the usual blinding pain and she had to press her forehead tightly in what was usually a vain attempt to relieve the pain. Her head felt like it was burning up.

"Come on, sit down," She felt Alice take her arm and guide over to a table and chairs nearby, signalling something to a waiter who had come out of a cafe nearby. After a moment, something cold was pushed into her hand.

"It's just water, love, take a drink."

Donna took a sip. Her head was beginning to clear again and she looked around cautiously.

"Sorry Alice, I thought that had stopped happening. It's ok. Only lasts a few minutes."

"Don't be sorry," Alice was looking at her with a terrible pity and Donna suddenly longed to get away from her. She made a move to stand up.

"Donna," Alice reached over and touched her shoulder, "did you hurt your back in the accident?"

"My back? No, it was just a bang on the head really. No wisecracks please!"

"No, it's just...I thought, it looked like there was something on your back for a second." Alice laughed nervously, "must have been the light. Are you sure you're ok, Donna? Do you want a coffee?"

"I'd better go home. But it was nice to see you. We'll keep in touch, yeah?"

"I'll come with you," Alice moved as if to take her arm but Donna stepped back.

"No, thanks, you go on. I'll see you soon, ok?"

She turned away, desperate not to see the confusion on her friend's face.

By the time she got home, it was later than usual. She'd walked in the part for a while and sat in a cafe, reading magazines. Her mother hastily jumped away from the sitting room window when she came through the front door.

"Where have you been? I was worried," she stopped and Donna watched her start again, "about the interview. How did it go, love?"

"Alright," Donna shrugged.

"Don't worry, love," her granddad said, "you'll get something sooner or later. It's their loss."

She smiled at him and sat down, taking in their strained faces and over-eager smiles.

"Feeling alright?" her mother asked.

"Fine Mom, I'm fine now...but...I wish I could remember more, about the accident and what happened after. I was thinking of looking for my records and files in the hospital. What doctor looked after me?" She felt herself shudder. She should at least be able to remember that much.

"I don't think that's a good idea," her mother said, with a quick glance at her granddad, "they said...they said you'd remember in time, when you were ready. You can't rush these things."

"Yeah, but if I remember, I think I'll get better quicker. Just little things, like the hospital and the people there, and coming home at first. I should be able to remember being at home after. I was much better then"

"Love, your memory was a bit affected after," Granddad said, "you slept a lot of the time too. That was the best thing for you, to get better. Look at how good you're doing now. The rest will happen in time, and if it doesn't, that's ok." He gave her hand a squeeze.

"I still want to see those files," she insisted, "you have to understand, it's a whole piece of my life! I want to know what happened, even if I can't remember it."

Her mother stood up, and Donna could see her hands trembling slightly.

"Stop it, Donna. It was a horrible time and we want to put it behind us. It's all over now and you're alright. Can you not just leave things be!" She ran out of the room.

Donna looked at her grandfather, who regarded her silently, saying nothing.

"I'm sorry, alright? But I just hate feeling like this...like I'm helpless, or tainted in some way. I just want things to be back to normal." She leaned into him and he put his arm around her and kissed her forehead. The gesture was so familiar, she realised, a cherished childhood shadow, that for a moment, the rest of it didn't seem to matter quite so much.

That night she dreamed of her grandfather. They were sitting in the back garden and she was watching him looking through the telescope.

"Have a look, love," he said conversationally, "the stars are going out."

He handed her the telescope and she put it to her eye and watched as one by one, the stars above them blinked and faded away into darkness.

"What is it?" she asked him.

"It's the end of the universe." As he said the words, she watched as far away across the sky, an explosion of fire came nearer and nearer. She tried to get up, pulling him with her, but neither of them could move.

"We've had the best of times," he told her softly, and even as she tugged him close, he began to fade, taking everything around them with him. Darkness closed in on her.

"No!" She sat up, gasping for breath and reached for the bottle of painkillers beside her bed. The night-time headaches were always worse. While she waited for them to kick in, she staggered to the window, desperate for reassurance that everything was the same as usual. Outside, the street was silent. Underneath the street lights she could see a light rain falling. It was all there, a very faint sound of traffic from the town, curtained windows across the road, her car in the driveway. She sat back on the bed, trying to calm her breathing.

And realised what was wrong with the picture.

She huddled with the phone under the duvet and dialled Alice's number.

"Donna?" Her friend's voice was faint with sleep, "are you alright?"

"Yeah, sorry, I'm sorry to wake you. Listen, you said you knew nothing about my accident. Did no one know anything? Have you been out of touch with them all?"

"No. No one knew anything, Donna, you've got to believe me. We'd have been to see you, honest..."

"No, it's not that. It's just, didn't my mother tell you?"

"We all said that this evening," Alice's voice sounded more awake now, "but, not criticising her, it's understandable. She was worried and upset and all that. But Tony and Lynn and the others, they were really shocked that we didn't know. They all send their love. Are you sure you're ok?"

"I'm fine. I'm confused." Donna rubbed her forehead, feeling the headache edging back again, "my car is outside, Alice. Not a scratch on it. I only just realised. Mom said I was driving and I fell asleep at the wheel but I never drive any other car."

"Maybe you did that once. Work or something, a favour for somebody."

"Yeah, maybe. It's this alien thing as well. I slept through it but how could I have? No one stayed quietly indoors. Mom and Granddad wouldn't have left me either. I was lying on the bed afterwards...not in bed tucked up...on the bed with clothes and shoes on. That's not like someone asleep for days on end. I came down and there was this man, a detective, coming around checking on everyone. But he didn't ask me anything."

"Why not ask them? Your mom and Granddad?"

"They hate talking about it. I think they're a bit traumatised. I keep dreaming about it too...stars going out, people being ripped apart, screams..." She shivered.

"Lots of people have that, love. We don't understand and that makes it more frightening."

"But why am I dreaming about when I didn't experience any of it?"

"You've read the papers, seen the reports on television. It's affected everyone and maybe you even more because you've been hurt and you're fragile at the moment."

"Yeah," Donna was crying now.

"Donna, it's alright. Listen, do you want to come over to me? I'll pick you up. Wait by the front door."

"Thanks," They hung up and Donna hastily put jeans and a sweater on.

They sat up in Alice's bedsit until the early hours, Alice trying to convince her that nothing was wrong and then showing her photos of recent nights out and their friend Tara's hen night. Gradually Donna felt herself relax and she stared hungrily at the photos, willing herself into the normality of the scenes.

"We'll all meet up tonight," Alice promised, "it'll do you good, seeing the others, having a laugh. We'll get some sleep now and things will look much better when you get up. Did you leave a note at home for your mom?"

"Yeah, she won't like it but I'll ring her later. Maybe she'll take it as a sign I'm back to normal, sneaking out at all hours." She lay back on the couch and Alice handed her a blanket and kissed her cheek. "Call me when you wake up, ok?"

"Thanks for everything," Donna said sleepily.

This time she dreamed of a desk of papers. The papers were stacked untidily on top of each other, and the top ones drifted to the ground as she looked at them. Her hands couldn't keep up with their movement as she tried to tidy them.

"That's not very quick," remarked the woman from the interview, "I thought you could do a hundred a minute."

"I can," Donna protested, filling her arms with a stack of paper and trying to push them down on top of the others.

"You're not so special after all," the woman said, "oh look!" She pointed to a paper as it fell from Donna's arms, "that must be Torchwood."

Pressing her hands to her forehead, Donna sat up and looked around, completely disorientated, before she remembered where she was. In the early morning light, the small room looked cosy, 

everything colourful and brightly painted. She reached for the glass of water Alice had left her on the desk nearby and stopped dead.

It was the same desk from her dream.

Which of course, was not much a coincidence. The desk had been beside her the whole time she'd been here. She probably knew it all from past visits to Alice but at the same time, she knew she'd never really noticed it before. As much as she knew that rooting in a friend's desk was not exactly the thing to do, her hands reached out and opened the drawer.

There was very little; a notebook, glasses case, a few letters in envelopes. She picked up the notebook, wondering how much of a crime it might be to look inside, but as she did, she say the leaflet underneath it.

**Did the earth move for you?**

**Friends, forget the wisecracks, the speculation and above all, the outright lies being fed to us by the very people who are supposed to protect us. If you want to know WHAT REALLY HAPPENED during the October invasion, Earthlings are the people that are going to find out and tell you the truth.**

**Have you a story to tell about the invasion? Lost someone and want answers? Have information that no one will listen to? Then contact Earthlings!!**

**077 78946 37463**

There might be time to regret and wisdom of her decision later. Donna rooted her mobile out of her purse and dialled.


	2. Chapter 2

As she dialled, she was dimly aware that calling someone at this hour of the morning probably wouldn't do much to endear her to them but she knew that if she hung up, she might never call again. After six rings, a male voice spoke, sounding awake and alert.

"Hello. This is the Earthlings Organisation. Can I help you?"

"I don't know," Donna said hesitantly, "I read your leaflet and you sounded like someone who could give me some answers, I think...It's long story..."

"Of course it is," the voice spoke back cheerfully, "my name is Tom, and that's not my real name, just in case you're anyone trying to track us down."

Ok, paranoia, she thought, maybe it's justified, or maybe these people are complete nutters.

"I'm Donna Noble. And I don't think I've anything interesting to tell you. I don't remember anything about it. That's my problem. I was told I slept through it but I don't think I did; and everything since is really hazy. Well, to be honest, so is a lot before it but..." She frowned, trying to gather her thoughts, "I don't think I had these headaches I've been getting before it happened. I don't know why none of it registers with me at all..."

"Interesting," Tom said, "obviously we couldn't put it in the leaflet, too many alien abduction stories, you know. But we are interested in people who say they can't remember and feel there's something they've forgotten. It's happened quite a bit. You must understand, we have to get to know anyone who calls before we really accept them, otherwise we'll be nothing but conspiracy theorists. But we are willing to listen. Tell me where you were at the time."

Donna told him the story, including the accident, feeling lighter and lighter as she talked, putting her doubts into words and having them listened to seemed to give her strength that she'd forgotten she had.

"My dreams don't seem to tie in with anything I've read about it. I dream about those robots people talked about, but I hear them speaking. I dream of something...someone shooting me into a wall and people shouting my name...and killings, extermination...that word." She felt a sharp pain shoot through the top of her head.

"Ok," Tom said slowly when she finally took a break, "Of course, Donna, you do realise that this could be tied in with your head injury. We can't ignore that, but, on the other hand, your dreams interest me and the fact that no one at home seems to want to discuss it with you. Tell you what, why don't we meet? I won't give you a date and time now because there's always a chance we're being listened to but I'll call you back from another number before the end of the day. How's that?"

"What do you mean, we're being listened to?"

"Well, there's a lot of people who don't want us to find anything out, you know. I'll tell you more in person, Donna, ok?"

"Thanks," she said, "I'll see you soon then."

"You will, goodbye for now...oh, and Donna?"

"Yeah?"

"The best of times are still ahead. Remember that, ok?"

"Yeah...goodbye." She hung up, partially convinced that this bloke was really quite strange. Nice but strange. Her head was pounding as she lay back down, watching the early morning brighten across the sky.

It was almost six that evening before Tom rang back with a time and location for the following day. She and Alice had been shopping and before going to the pub, Donna went home long enough to convince her mother and granddad that she was alive and well. They both seemed overly pleased that she was going out.

"See, I told you," her granddad said, as much to her mother as to her, "everything back to normal. Your friends, and a nice job will come next, you'll see."

Alice collected her at 8pm and they walked to the Lions Den. Tony, Lyn and Louise were seated inside the door and Donna felt her heart constrict at their genuine pleasure to see her and concern about her. As she was hugged and kissed, she felt guilty at the fact that she must have thought about them so little in the past few months. There was a time that they all would have experienced recent events together.

"Donna, we're so sorry...we had no idea you'd been in an accident," Louise said, "I mean, we wondered where you were but someone said you'd gone travelling, and then all the October stuff...and time just passed."

"You did go travelling, though, didn't you?" Tony said.

"No, I wish I had!" Donna said, "I've never been more broke though."

"But you were gone, Donna."

"Yeah, in the hospital. I was there for ages."

"I called for you once or twice. Your granddad said you were away travelling."

Donna stared at him. She'd gone out with Tony years ago and of all people, he was the one most likely to keep track of her whereabouts. Her mother had highly approved of him and been furious at Donna's continued disinterest in him, romantically speaking. Why wouldn't she have told him what had happened?

"I don't know," she said slowly, "maybe I was away with Mom or something for a few days. I hate not knowing. It's driving me mad."

"Don't worry," Tony looked worried now, "really, I'm just sorry I wasn't there for you, that's all. But it's great to see you now."

"Thanks," she said, trying to push the thought from her mind, " tell me how you are, all of you..."

The night passed pleasantly and she felt happier and more grounded than she had in a long time. Funny enough, she thought, there was a feeling of coming home after being away for a long time. Everyone looked familiar and yet slightly different as if they had all moved on slightly since the last time she'd sat here with them. Louise was engaged and Tony had just bought his first house. And each of them had their own separate experience of October which she suspected, they recounted at every sitting in this bar.

"It's weird," Tony was saying, "there was nothing really happening on my street...just shouting coming from all over the place. I stayed in the garden because I didn't want to be cornered if anything happened."

"The sky...it was so horrible," Lyn said, "I mean, if you saw it on a picture you'd think it was beautiful. But it was so...wrong."

"I wonder what really happened," Louise said, "I mean, did the planet just move and then move back again? Do planets do that?"

"Well someone hardly gave it a jumpstart!"

The others laughed but Donna shivered slightly, the image piercing her somehow.

"Maybe it was just mass illusion thing," Lyn said thoughtfully, "some big conspiracy to make us come together as a planet."

"No," Alice was looking out the window at the sky, "It was real. Now we know we're not alone out there. We'll be used to it in years to come, believe me."

"If we're not all made mince meat of by them first!"

"God knows who'll be sitting at the bar here with us...or what!"

"Torchwood will be a thing of the past," Alice said, "either that, or they'll be our government because they'll be the only ones who know what to do."

_Torchwood. _Again, an image came into Donna's mind that she couldn't quite see. She had asked Alice about it yesterday but she already knew that name.

_That must be Torchwood._

Her head nearly exploded.

She gasped, bending over to try and ease the pressure.

"Donna, what's wrong?"

Alice was bending over her and whispering to the others to keep back, that she'd be ok in a minute.

"She doesn't look ok," Tony was insisting, "Donna, do you need to see a doctor?"

_Doctor._

Everything went black.

"_That must be Torchwood," Alice was saying, rummaging through her desk, "they're like an out of space Facebook!"_

"_Really?" Donna was sitting on the couch with a young thin man, "Alice, this is Tom from the Earthlings group. It's not his real name though, he's really called Doctor John Smith."_

_Her grandfather was waving at the sky and she was in it, waving back. _

"Miss Noble, try to stay still," someone said, and she felt pressure on her arms.

"It was my idea, you know," she said, trying to focus on the face over her, "_Murder on the Orient Express. _I have copyright."

"It's like a sort of seizure," a voice said over her head, "her temperature was very high."

"Brainwave activity," someone else said.

She opened her eyes and the room was quiet. A drip fed something into her arm.

"Accident?" she croaked.

"You had a small complication from your head injury," A tall man appeared by the bed and smiled down at her. He was very good looking, she noticed, inwardly wondering at the state of her sanity in making such observations at this moment.

"I'm Dr John Hatch," he continued, apparently not noticed her wide-eyed gaze at him, "I specialise in injuries such as yours." Ooh, what a beautiful American accent, she thought and then realising that he might be waiting for a response, said, "am I alright now?" She looked around the room, forcing her eyes to look at the brightest areas, "I feel ok."

"Yeah, you're fine. You just need a rest a while." He pulled up a chair and sat by the bed. "Can you remember what happened?"

"I was at the pub with my mates. I don't know...it was a headache and then it got worse. We were..." She frowned, picturing them all sitting around the small table, "oh yeah, we were talking about October...where we all were at the time..."

"And where were you?"

"Asleep, apparently,"

"Why apparently?"

"I don't know. It doesn't feel right; I think I was outside, in the middle of it all. I remember...images of it. But..."

"Donna, you need to take it easy." As he spoke, she noticed that he looked very serious, "you're putting too much pressure on yourself to remember things like this. Your mind has had a lot of trauma and you need to be patient."

"I know...but it's hard. I feel like I've lost something, Doctor, that I'm not the person I was. There's something not there anymore."

"Yeah," he rubbed his forehead and leaned closer to her, "Donna, I had a similar experience once and I know how terrible it is to lose your own memories, even if they're just little ones. But it will pass. You'll go back to your life and build up more new ones to replace the lost ones. Trying to fight this won't let you do that, not properly."

"Yeah," she sighed softly, "I wish I had seen it all though, in October, and remembered it. Something life-changing, you know. I know it was frightening and people died and I shouldn't think that way but I do. All I remember is waking up and everything was really quiet and calm. I don't know why I noticed that. And there was this detective downstairs, John Smith." She paused, wondering what he must have thought of her, chattering on the phone in face of all the devastation.

"He left soon after that. I told him not to leave me there; I was crying...not to send me back..what was..Oh," she put a hand on her head, "that's not right. I'm not making sense, am I?" In her own ears, her voice felt faint.

"Sit her up a bit," a female voice said.

"What the hell can we do?" This was Dr Hatch.

"She's remembering," the female voice said.

"Is that you, Martha?" Donna breathed.

Blackness again.

Later, she woke and it was morning. There was sounds of bustling outside of the window and a nurse by the bed doing something with the drip.

"We can disconnect this now and when the doctor comes around, we'll know if you can go home later today," she said cheerfully, "and we'll set up a few tests for you to come back in for."

"Dr Hatch?"

"No, Dr Lennox. He saw you last night in the Emergency Room."

"Dr Hatch said he specialised in my sort of injury," Donna said, as snippets of their conversation came back to her.

"Was this someone you saw before?" the nurse asked, "in another hospital?"

"No, he was here last night. We talked about my memory loss. He was really nice, American, very good looking."

"I don't know," the nurse looked at her, frowning slightly, "never mind, you might have got the name wrong. Dr Lennox is really nice too." She wrote something on the clipboard and walked rather hastily out of the room. Donna watched her go, then reached for her bag on the locker nearby. Tom had arranged to meet her at lunchtime and she didn't want to miss it. She knew that her own situation had just become twice as complicated as it had before but there would be time to think about it later. Or not at all. Maybe it was time to let this go before it drove her mad. But she would meet Tom first, out of curiosity, just because it was good to have someone to talk to.


	3. Chapter 3

"Miss Noble, where are you going?"

As she walked down the hall and passed the nurse's station, the nurse who had spoken to her hurried behind her.

"Just a breath of fresh air," she said breezily, knowing that the coat and bag were a bit of a giveaway.

"The doctor will be here any minute." As Donna turned, she saw that three more nurses had materialised. Something in their faces told her that if she turned back now, she wouldn't be leaving the hospital anytime soon. She began to run.

"Miss Noble...Donna...please come back! We're trying to help you!"

She kept running, heading to the stairs and pressing the down button on the lift as she passed, hoping any security guards on the ground floor would station themselves there. She knew she could out-run them. Along with the fast typing, she had become so fast at running. Before last year, a run to the bus stop left her gasping. Now she could run almost indefinitely without needing a break. She had discovered that before the first job interview when she'd overslept and run the whole way, still afraid to get behind the wheel. Amazing what a head injury could do, she thought grimly.

No one was waiting for her when she reached the entrance. She headed for the taxi rank, taking a moment to fasten her coat against the bitter morning cold. There were three missed calls on her phone from Alice and 7 from her mother, who had obviously only just gotten up and realised she wasn't there. It was a wonder she wasn't camped in the hospital already. Donna texted Alice.

"Been discharged. Pls tell my mother I'm fine and am with you, having a sleep. If u haven't told her about the hospital, don't. Will ring shortly. All fine. Xx"

"Where are you going, love?" the taxi driver asked she got in.

"Em.." Donna stopped. Someone called Tom, she thought, trying to gather her thoughts together; she was meeting someone called Tom for a chat. About what though? She couldn't think. Last night and this morning were fading away from her mind, like briefly remember dreams. She blinked back tears. When was this going to stop? Why couldn't she just remember things properly?

"Just the main street, please," she said finally.

"No problem, love," he said cheerfully, "lovely morning."

"Yeah," she sank back in the seat, wondering if the journey was long enough for a quick nap.

The town seemed subdued in the grey morning air. A few people rushed by her with umbrellas blocking their faces, as she emerged from the taxi. Everyone looks so serious these days, she thought and wondered if her own mood was affecting her outlook on every scene around her. She could browse for a while, she thought. Shopping had always cheered her up. Maybe this Tom wasn't too important. Maybe it had just been another job interview, and she certainly wasn't in the mood for that right. She pulled out her purse to see if her finances would stand a morning in the high street. There was piece of paper inside.

"_Tom. Earthlings. Mabels, 12.30"_

The leaflet! She remembered now. Maybe she should start writing everything down just in case this condition turned out to be permanent. This was a meeting she really did want to go to. The only thing was, it didn't look like her writing. She didn't even remember writing down the details of the meeting. But that wasn't unusual at the moment. She frowned. It definitely wasn't her hand-writing.

Maybe she shouldn't go.

But maybe her hand-writing had changed.

And maybe this would all be another strange dream and she'd wake up soon. In the meantime...

Mabel's turned out to be a tiny cafe down a dodgy looking alleyway. A battered sofa in one corner with a coffee table, three more tables and chairs and a small counter in front of a red curtain that looked like it belonged in a museum rather than somewhere serving food to the public. She sat gingerly on the sofa, looking around for a menu or list of any sort.

"Donna Noble?" She looked up to see a blond haired man of about 24 or 25 looking down at her. Behind him were a group of people, dishevelled and pale looking, all of them.

"Tom?"

"Yeah, good to meet you," he took her hand briefly and called over to the curtain.

"Eight coffees and rounds of toast please."

An old man glanced suspiciously at them before ducking back inside.

"Odd place, I know," Tom said, "but hard to be overheard. I mean, we can't miss it if someone comes in!"

The people with him began to pull up chairs and two of them sat beside Donna. As she turned to smile at them, she noticed how young they all looked, no more than teenagers. There were two girls and six boys. None looked very happy and no one met her eyes in return.

"These are some of my helpers," Tom said, seeing her questioning look, "you'll notice that it's the young who question the most. These people witnessed a lot of the events we're talking about and it's had quite an effect."

None of them spoke, although one of the girls locked eyes with Tom. Her own were dark and very blank looking, as if she was really somewhere else. Drugs? Donna wondered. So far, it wasn't quite the professional set-up she'd hoped for.

"So Donna, let's get down to business," Tom said, pulling a notebook from the inside pocket of his coat. "I'll need to hear everything you can remember."

"Well, that's not much. I told you about my memory loss...and my dreams. I just think there's more to it than that."

"Ok, well tell me the first thing you do remember."

Donna told him about waking on her bed, fully dressed.

"There were loads of texts on my phone, about what had happened. I went downstairs to talk to my mother and granddad and there was this man there. They said he was a detective, John Smith."

"Well, that's easily checked out," Tom said, busily writing, "hang on...John Smith?"

"Yeah," she laughed slightly, "you never think anyone's actually called John Smith, do you? It is a bit of a cliché!"

"Yes," he said slowly, "it's also a name often used by someone we want to talk to. Come on, Donna, what did he say?"

"Nothing really, I told him my name and we said hello. And...he came into the kitchen after me, to say goodbye and he left."

Beside her, the other girl had pulled out a phone and begun to text. The others watched her silently. It was a bit unnerving.

"Well, if this man is who we think he is, then there's definitely more to this than you know," Tom said in a satisfied tone. They fell silent as the old man approached with the tray of coffees. He put them down and walked away, without looking at them.

Donna sipped her coffee.

"So, who do you think he is then?"

Tom was looking at the counter.

"He forgot the toast; hang on a moment." He got up and walked over,

"Hey, we asked for toast!" He ducked inside the curtain.

"Donna Noble," It was the dark eyed girl, "you need to leave. _Now_!"

"Stop it!" The other girl hissed at her.

"What?"

They both fell silent as Tom returned.

"Who is he?" Donna repeated her question, wishing she was sitting nearer to the door. As much as she wanted answers, something seemed badly wrong about this set-up and maybe, she wondered, maybe she didn't really want to hear that she'd been mixed up in anything. Just going home and looking for more jobs was an attractive option at this point.

"I think you know that already," Tom replied, "and if you really don't, we have lots of ways to help you remember. You need to come with us."

Something in his voice had changed. His eyes were hard now as he stared at her. Donna made an attempt to push herself up from the soft couch but her legs felt like jelly.

"You've had a little too much to drink," Tom said softly to her, "we tried coffee to sober you up and now we'll have to help you out and give you a lift home." He nodded to two of the boys who immediately got up and placed their hands under her arms, hauling her to her feet.

"Stop it! Help! Oi, you!!" She called frantically in the direction of the curtain but there was no response.

"Don't bother," Tom said.

Her legs refused to do anything. She felt herself being dragged forward towards the door. They had her arms tightly pinioned against them. There was no chance to reach for her phone.

They reached the pavement outside and she could see a small white van parked about 100 yards away. The girls walked ahead of them. She couldn't think of anything to do to get away. If she knew who they were or what they wanted...

"I don't have much money but you can have it," she said, struggling against them and feeling maybe a sliver of control returned to her legs. She pressed one foot to the ground, trying to will more feeling into it. Maybe there was a chance, if she caught them unawares...

"Hate to break up the party, guys, but I have a date with the lady too."

It was a tall man with a beautiful American accent, and one of the most good-looking men she had ever set eyes on. Donna wondered about the state of her sanity for having thoughts like that at a time like this.

"Come on, fellows, you don't want to see me when I'm angry," he continued, moving slowly towards them.

The two boys let go of her. Donna felt herself fall against the pavement. But her legs were working now. She could feel it.

"What's going on?" she shouted, furious now, rather than frightened.

"Officer Jake Hartley," he said to her, "don't worry, you're safe now."

"This is none of your business," Tom shouted angrily, "we're having an evening out. She's had a few too many. That's not a crime."

"No," Officer Hartley replied, "but abduction is." He pulled something out of his coat. Something, Donna realised a second later, was the largest gun she had ever seen. The only gun she had ever seen in real life.

Tom laughed. "Yeah, fine, whatever." He raised his hands over his head.

"All of you, back inside," the officer said, "Donna, you're ok now."

She nodded.

Tom turned around and started to walk away.

"I said, back inside!"

But the others had gathered around Tom, two in front, two behind and two at either side.

"What about it?" Tom called back, "going to shoot them too? What would happen to them if you did?"

Hartley strode after them and in a second, they were all running. Donna dragged herself back to the wall and attempted to put weight on her legs. Whatever had been in the coffee had worn off. She took a few tentative steps as her saviour came running back.

"Lost them," he said breathlessly, "they know the exits from the buildings too well." He took a breath and looked at her, "are you ok?"

"Yeah," she said, squaring up and looking him in the eyes, "since when does a _policeman_ carry guns like that?"

"Well, lucky for you, I do," he replied, "come on, I'll take you home."

"I'm not going back there," she said sharply, and the words hit her like a blow in the stomach. Had she said this before? She almost felt like crying and that made her panic.

"I'm going," she said, pushing blindly past him, "I don't care who or what you are. I'm leaving. And don't follow me!" she added as an afterthought.

"Donna, please wait," he put out a hand but she backed away.

"I'm going!" she repeated furiously, "and if you're not going to explain to me what just happened, I'm going now!"

"You shouldn't have called that number," he said, "that's all. And if you ever see him again, you need to get help and fast. But if you come with me now, I can make sure you're properly protected."

"Protected from _what_?"

"There's a lot of weirdos cashing in on everything that's happened at the moment. Come on, come with me." She could see him reaching quietly inside his jacket. His eyes were really serious, almost sad.

"You were at the hospital," she said quietly, "you said you were a doctor."

"Look, we need to talk prop..."

She turned and ran. Behind her there were footsteps and she heard him call her name. But then she'd reached the high street again and fled into the first department shop she got to. Two shoppers glanced at her, then looked again. She couldn't be bothered looking into a mirror to see how she must look. Desperately, she made her way through racks of clothes, making her way to the back of the shop. He hadn't followed.

She arrived home with almost no memory of how she'd gotten there. It was easier not to think. That was it, she thought, she was going to stop asking questions. She was going to get on with her 

life, maybe even move away and start again somewhere. She'd been thinking for ages that at her age, she needed to move out of home. She'd focus on other things, forget about the lost time and the headaches would stop and everything would be ok again, and really that was all that...

There was a police car outside her house.

She ran up the drive, finding the front door unlocked and raced in, calling out,

"Mom? Granddad, are you ok?"

"Donna!" Her mother ran into the hall and flung her arms around her.

"Where were you? We were so worried."

"You didn't call the police, did you?"

"No," her mother looked as if she'd been crying, "they want to talk to you, love. There's a doctor here as well."

Numbly she followed her mother into the sitting and sat beside her granddad on the couch. His face was hard-set, as if he was planning on how to win an argument. He squeezed her hand.

"Donna Noble?" a young policeman asked, "I'm PC Ryder and this is Doctor Lennox. He treated you last night when you were brought to hospital."

She nodded.

"Donna, you'd taken something last night," the doctor said, "we'll have your blood test results back in a couple of hours but we really need to know what it was, if you took it voluntarily or perhaps, your drink was spiked. Your physical symptoms were very...unusual. And the nurses tell me that you were very disorientated this morning."

"I didn't take anything! I told you about my head injury."

"Yes, a car accident six months ago," he said, "and a considerable period of rehabilitation. But we've no record of any of it. And nor has any other hospital." He looked at her with an air of satisfaction.

Donna looked wildly at her mother, but her head was down and she wasn't meeting Donna's eyes.

"I don't remember," she said finally.

"Yes," the doctor consulted his notes and wrote something down.

"You left the hospital this morning without being discharged," the policeman said.

"That's not a crime!"

"You were seen," he consulted his notebook, disregarding her comment, "walking on the high street in a confused manner at 12. You were also witnessed at 1.05pm running out of an alleyway adjacent to East Street where a Mr Micheal Moore had just been assaulted in a cafe called Mabel's".

"What?"

"He's in a pretty bad state," the policeman continued, "we'd like you to come to the station and answer a few questions."

Her mother looked shattered. "Surely you don't think Donna would have anything to do with that?" She looked at her father and Donna saw some silent message pass between them.

"I'm not thinking anything," the policeman said, "but I need you to come to the station."

"She needs medical care first," Dr Lennox said firmly.

Donna closed her eyes briefly. "I need to take my tablet," she whispered, "I'll be back in a minute."

"No tablets," the doctor said, "but I would like to see any medication that you're taking."

"Fine," Donna got up and walked slowly upstairs, hearing raised voices coming from the sitting room as the doctor and policeman argued about what to do with her. Her purse was in her pocket. She'd have to abandon the handbag but there was nothing in it she needed. It was years since she'd been a little girl, climbing out the window at night to join her grandfather with his telescope in the garden but she hadn't forgotten how to do it, which parts of the window ledge were safe, which branches of the chestnut tree could be depended on to take her weight. Luckily she'd been wearing sensible shoes. ..

That night was cold and clear. Wilf sat outside as he usually did, knowing what his daughter would have to say about it, at a time like this but he couldn't think of anything else to do. Donna had been gone since the afternoon. There hadn't been a phone call from her and her mobile was switched off. Sensible enough, he supposed, the police could track those things down. As it was, they'd been there until the evening, asking questions, and that doctor! He closed his eyes. Such a betrayal, making out that their Donna was delusional. But the alternative could cost her her life.

Where could she be? Her friends were as worried as they were. If only he had taken her seriously, and not tried to fend off every question. But that was the way it had been for the last few months. Donna was sharper now and more restless, her mind continually working. Whatever traces of memories were there had to be suppressed, he knew that. But the effect of not knowing seemed to affecting her badly, affecting them all. He and Donna had never had any secrets between them.

There was only one thing he could think of, clutching the small jewel in his hand. Donna had given it to him months ago on a brief visit home.

"It's a flare," she had explained, "invisible on earth but in space, it acts like a signal, a distress signal. You can use it anyway you like, Granddad...if you never need it to look for me, then use it to say hello." She had kissed him and left.

He placed it now, over the screen of the telescope and directed it upwards.

"Come on Doctor," he muttered, "you're the only one who can get her back home safely."


	4. Chapter 4

Tom was out there. Unbelievable but true. Unless she really was delusional. It was the second time that day she'd seen him. He had walked up the street, and then back down again. The second time, she thought he threw a quick, side-long glance towards her window. Then he'd walked away.

_She dreamed of a young, blond woman telling her that she was going to die. They were standing outside an old fashioned police call box which disappeared when she turned to look at it properly._

"_You're still going to die," the woman said._

She'd woken up and gone to the window. That had been when the second sighting happened.

"Mom, you need to tell me what's been happening. It can't be any worse than things look now."

"I can't, darling. But...please come home, and we'll...try to explain as best as can. We'll have a good talk about it all."

"I can't," Donna sighed, relieved when the phone started to bleep. "I've no more change, Mom, I have to go. But I'm fine, really."

"Donna..."

The phone went dead. Donna replaced the receiver, and walked back up to her room. It had only been two days and already she felt as if she'd been living here for a lifetime. It had to be the gloomiest guesthouse she'd ever been in but it was inexpensive and didn't require a credit card. It was also barely three miles from home which was good. Even if she didn't feel she could go there at the moment, she wanted to be nearby in case there was any danger for them. She'd rung home each day, and spoke to each of them, refusing to answer any questions but just saying that she was safe.

She lay on the narrow bed and closed her eyes, wondering if self-hypnosis was possible, and if it would make her memories come flooding back. But all that came to mind were images from her dreams...a robotic voice shouting "exterminate!", stars blinking into darkness, screams and running feet, the American doctor/officer/whatever he was holding her close in the face of blinding light...

Wait, that was a new one. When had she dreamed that? Donna sat up, trying to hold the image in her mind. It felt very real. But her head began to throb before she had a chance to mull it over. She took two painkillers, turned on the television and lay back down with the remote control, trying to find something to focus on for a few hours. Maybe after the lunchtime news, there would be something.

"Police investigating the disappearances of twenty teenagers in the Waltham area have again appealed to the public for any information about their whereabouts. Today investigating officer David Blake had this to say..."

Donna sat up again, no longer listening. The screen was filled with six or seven images of the missing teenagers and she recognised four of them. There was the girl who had warned her in Mabel's, the two boys who had dragged her out... She stared at the screen.

Of course she'd heard about them before but after October, stories of missing people had filled the news for weeks. Most had been located, some hadn't and were presumed killed. It had got to the point that missing people were no longer shocking or even mildly surprising. These kids had disappeared from a young persons' detention centre when their staff had fled during the invasion. There had been detailed discussions afterwards about the action of the staff, and it was assumed that the kids had either returned to family and friends or simply to freedom in the outside world. But they were still missing... And she had seen some of them.

She went back downstairs to the phone, glancing around her but the hallway was usually deserted in the daytime. She really didn't want to phone the police. But she had to do something. She paused, uncertainly.

_The doctor would know what to do. _The thought came to mind, out of nowhere.

Maybe it would be better to wait until she saw them again. If Tom was really following her, then surely she would. There was no way she could make the events of the past 24 hours sound in anyway plausible, particularly when there seemed to be severe doubts about her sanity anyway.

Later, she went out. Somehow the darkness made her feel safer. The rain hadn't stopped all day, and apart from thronged buses with lighted windows, there was very little to see along this street. If she saw Tom again, maybe she could follow him, although if he knew where she was, if by some remote chance, he'd traced her to here, then it was likely she was the followed one. She turned quickly but there was no one behind her.

Somehow, the news story had cheered her slightly. The missing kids were something she could focus on, given that she'd seen them. They were people who needed help, maybe more than she did. And even though she'd never been someone to go out of her way to be helpful, the thought was comforting.

It was somewhere to start. She'd been looking for a starting point for weeks.

But what could she do really? She was on her own. The police were looking for her. No one was going to listen to her.

It struck her again, how gloomy everyone looked. It wasn't surprising, not really. It was a dark, damp evening. The events from October had affected everything, from personal incomes to peoples' sense of well-being and security. But it seemed more than that too. There was a silence to everything these days. Apart from traffic, where was usual chatter coming from pubs and restaurant, kids on the streets, commuters coming home from work? Everyone she saw seemed to just stare straight ahead. Even in the pub the other night, before her collapse, all they had to really talk about was October.

And there she was, the only person in the world with nothing to say about it.

She stood in the doorway of the bar, trying to shake the rain off her coat before she walked onwards. Even in the cosy, lighted atmosphere, no one looked particularly cheery. She inched her way inside, listening to snatches of conversation.

"We barred the doors with the wood from the garden shed; it was the only thing we could think of..."

"My wife rang her sister in Australia. She thought it surely couldn't be happening there and maybe we could get out of the country..."

"We closed all the curtains so the kids couldn't see the sky..."

They were all talking about it! Donna sat at a small table near the door and signalled to the bar man.

"A coffee please,"

He nodded and set to work. When he brought it over, she leaned over to him.

"Is it all they talk about? October?"

He looked around, as if suddenly remembering he had customers.

"No, just now and again, they get going." She held money out to him but without warning, he pulled up a chair, "tell you what though, it gives me the creeps every time I think of it. I mean, there were people being rounded up all down my street. We were in the attic, the wife and me. No point going out until we'd no choice. My neighbour told me the other day that they were sat inside with guns. Wouldn't have been a good lookout for them if they decided to use them." He blinked, got up and walked away again.

Donna took a sip of the coffee, telling herself sternly that her head was not hurting. She would have to learn to tough it out sooner or later and surely the headaches would go away in time. The people in the bar were fascinating her now. They all talked, sometimes ignoring or just talking over each other. And it was all about October. The odd few words she overheard made that clear. Had it been like this all the time? Was it some sort of collective post traumatic stress? Only the media were quiet on the subject, focusing only on the subject of the odd missing person. The television in the corner of the bar played a soap opera, and no one paid any attention to it.

She turned sharply. Over the corner, by himself. One of the boys who'd dragged her from the cafe. She was sure of it. No one was talking to him or taking any notice of him. But he was there, looking in her direction but not at her. She looked frantically at the door, almost expecting Tom to come in and drag her out. She wasn't too sure how proactive this crowd would be in preventing that. But there was no one. She got up, almost feeling her way around the table. He looked up. Their eyes met.

He pulled out a phone and put it to his ear, never taking his eyes off her. Donna reached the door, pulled it open and ran.

She stopped, two streets away, with no idea where exactly she was in relation to the guesthouse. She took a breath and listened. Yes, somewhere behind her were running footsteps. There was a 

building nearby, some sort of warehouse with a ladder on the side, maybe a fire escape. Blessing the sensible shoes again, she started to climb.

Climbing too, she realised, had become easier, not that she thought she'd ever climbed anything before, apart from a flight of stairs. She kept on going, glancing down every so often to see anyone was down there. Near the top, glancing down was no longer a good idea, she realised. Her throat closed and she wanted to stop. Stop and just cling on because movement suddenly seemed horribly dangerous. Her breath was coming in gasps. But movement also made her less of a target even if she had no idea to whom. She forced her arms onwards hoping the rest of her would follow.

She reached the top.

It was a rooftop with a doorway on one side, leading back into the building. Two miserable plants and an ashtray, that was it otherwise. The railing around it reached her chest. She leaned against it, looking down at the dots of street lights and lazy moving tails of traffic.

It was a safe place, she thought, because it was neutral. She couldn't judge anymore because she didn't know. And maybe things would always be like this.

She gave in then and cried, something she'd been guarding against for quite a while. The uncertainty, the struggle of trying to comprehend everything, the darkness everywhere, all caught up with her for a moment and she laid her head on her arms. When she felt calmer, she rested against the railing and stared ahead, the anonymity of being at such a height comforting her.

Also, contrary to her nightmares, the stars were visible and showing no signs of going anywhere. Maybe her granddad was, at this moment, looking at them too.

A minute later, she realised that she wasn't alone.

The man called John Smith was standing silently beside her.


	5. Chapter 5

_John Smith_

_The Doctor_

_You just want __**to**__ mate?_

_No! I just want __**a**__ mate!_

But she must have seen plenty of doctors lately.

Or not. The accident didn't happen, did it?

What was wrong that she didn't remember, even though something in her mind was screaming at her that he was important, the most important of all? Was she really crazy?

_No you're not, you're brilliant._

She stared at him. He was watching her, his expression unreadable. She reached over and touched his arm. He was really there.

"Are you ok?" he asked, with a quick glance over the roof. Seeing what he meant, she nodded quickly, "yeah, I'm fine. Just...time to myself, you know." How could he know? Maybe she should be running away from him. She shouldn't rule that out just yet. But he nodded as if he understood and she stood her ground.

"Do you know who I am?" he asked her quietly.

She nodded, uncertainly. "You were in my house. But...it's more than that." There was something else, something important that she needed to know about him.

He nodded again.

That day, in her house. She'd been lying on the bed, and before that...

_Don't make me go back..._

Maybe running away was the sensible option. But she was too angry.

"You did this," she breathed, "you took away my memories."

She ran at him then, grabbing his collar so tight he had to lean over just to keep breathing.

"You took away all my memories. Everyone thinks I'm crazy! But I knew...I knew something happened to me. You had no right...I told you not to! I didn't care if it killed me, I wanted to stay!"

"Donna, I couldn't let you die, not like that."

"Well you weren't very successful, were you? Every day I remember more!" Maybe she could make herself sound more sure than she was. They had travelled together, through space and time. She knew that now. It was a fact, though the images weren't very strong yet. But they were there. And her head was killing her.

"No, your mind is still too strong. I should have known. No one could have completely wiped my mind either, not like that. But I thought..."

"How did you find me? Were you following me too?" She was so confused. Dizziness was threatening to overtake her and she let go of him and leaned slightly against the wall. She saw the Doctor notice and take a step towards her but the look on her face stopped him.

"A flare," he said, "you gave one to Wilf once, it has special powers to be seen from... a long way off...I was a long way away," he looked at the ground, "I was keeping an eye on you though, or trying to. When I got to Wilf, he told me you were in trouble and I used the flare to track you...your genetic code...there's this thing that can..."

She took a step away. "Leave me alone...no, tell me how my family are and _then_ tell me everything I've forgotten and then leave me alone!"

"They're fine and I can't leave you," he said quietly, "you're in too much danger."

Her head exploded.

There was a moment, slumped against the wall with him crouched beside her, that their eyes locked and she did know. She knew everything. She tried to separate the images in her mind.

"We met Agatha Christie!" she managed to say before the world vanished.

When she opened her eyes again, he was still beside her, with his hand pressed against her forehead. She struggled to a sitting position and pushed herself backwards.

"Come near me again and I promise you I'll find a very creative way of wiping _everything_ from _your_ mind," she threatened.

"I wasn't going to do that," he said, but he stood up and backed away slightly, "how are you feeling?"

"Alright," she said cautiously, still afraid to stand up, "what do mean I'm in danger?"

He looked away, over the railing and appeared to be thinking. Then he turned to her again.

"What are the only two known planets in the universe to come into contact with each other once a century?"

"Fluqua and Dasanga," she said, "the stardust explosions...once a century. Universal eclipses across the Icarian empire."

"Does Britain win any medals in the 2012 Olympic Games?"

"Yes, in..." He held up a hand to stop her.

"Sorry," he said, "I've forgotten...and I haven't had a chance to watch it properly yet. Can't spoil the surprise! The point is, you still know all this stuff."

"Still know? I remember now," she said softly, "the Crucible...and what we did...I did." The images assaulted for a moment, the sheer bliss of understanding how everything and everyone operated, of knowing she had the power to control it. The freedom of complete understanding! She took a deep breath, revealing in the happiest memory she had had in so long.

"Donna?" the Doctor's voice was sharp with concern.

"I don't feel like I did then...," she said dreamily, "I felt like I had the answer to everything, like I could look down there," she waved to the blinking scene below them, "and I'd know everything about it, and how to improve it and what it could become. I can't do that anymore."

"It's still there though, a Timelord brain," he said, "and you're still alive. Donna, you have to think about this. What you are is an impossibility. Your mind can't hold all this knowledge."

"You calling me stupid?"

"No, I'm saying that what's in your mind right now, could kill you, at any moment. It almost happened there, when you collapsed. I pushed the thoughts at the front of your mind to the back...and no, nothing was erased. Your memories are all there now."

"I know; I can feel it, it's weird," she rubbed her forehead, "it's like...tuning on a television..all these pictures coming back, bit by bit. I know what happened now; but it's like, I haven't actively remembered everything yet. I still...I'm still really confused, Doctor."

The Doctor knelt again so that he was at her level and looked at her very seriously, "Donna, I'm sorry this had to happen to you, and I'm sorry for what I did. What happens now is up to you. But you have to understand, the choice is there to forget everything again. I'll find a better way to do it...and then you'll be safe."

"No," she struggled to her feet, waving away his offer of help, "Rose told me I was going to die. I accepted that. And I still accept it. We did...amazing things. I was in Pompeii! The library, everything. We saved the Earth! And I want to remember those things properly, no matter what happens to me."

"Ok," he said, surprising her with his quick acceptance.

"Ok," she whispered. For a moment, they stood quietly again, looking down at the quiet street below.

"How long has Jack been following me?" she asked finally, "not the whole time?"

"No," the Doctor replied, "since you rang that Earthlings number."

"Tom was right then," she said with a half-laugh, "his phone was tapped."

"No, yours was."

"So I was being spied on as well as everything."

"For your own good, in case you needed help."

"Who is he then? Not some sort of alien?"

"'Fraid so."

"No! He looked...normal enough," she tried to think back, "so do you,though I suppose, sort of."

"Thanks," he said drily, "they're looking for you, Tom and his little gang. But you know that already."

"Yeah...but why? Because of you?"

"No, because of you. This isn't the only planet where red-heads are becoming extinct!"

She punched his arm, raising an eyebrow to show him that she was far from ever feeling anything like amusement again.

"Sorry," he said quickly, "and the answer is, yes...and no. Tom is from a parallel planet called Mount Atlantis...bit of an oxymoron isn't it? Mountain and underwater city. Still, it's another planet, we shouldn't judge. Did I ever tell you about Atlantis, the real Atlantis? No? Ok, well anyway, the fact is, your Tom and his lot, they're scavengers. Looters. Retrievers, they call themselves. They believe they're the original civilisation in the universe, that the rest of us stole from them when we came along. Genetics, riches, minerals...you name it. So they travel to where civilisations have been destroyed and take what and who they can. Normally within their own universe but the cracks made it possible for them to come here. And then when it didn't happen, the earth wasn't destroyed...well...they feel a bit cheated."

"They...how many?"

"Not more than ten," the Doctor said, "that's the formation they usually travel in. Now they're centering around here since Tom met you." His face became serious again, "they're telepathic," he said, "they can pick up on thoughts from miles away...in one phone call from you, he knew that you were central to what happened, that you were different, and that you knew me. Can't you feel what they're doing here?"

"Yeah, everyone's talking about October, there's this atmosphere..."

"No music, no laughter...no distraction. They want to know about the Daleks so all anyone can talk about is October. The energy feeds them too...all that confusion and fear and hostility. They love it."

Music, yes! That was what was missing from the streets, she thought. No music in shops, or pubs...nothing to listen to at all...except...the same conversations over and over.

"There wouldn't have much to loot though, would there, if the universe had been destroyed? Only dust."

"They can find a use for everything. I told you, they're resourceful. Wouldn't have put it past them to round up a few Daleks and bring them back to their army."

"The missing kids..." Donna said slowly, "is that what they're for?"

"Kind of, yeah, they pick on displaced people at the scenes of disasters. Lost, bereaved, abandoned... They use everything to pull in the vulnerable; psychic paper leading them to safety, or whatever they're looking for. Worked on you, by the way."

"Thanks,"

"They're the first rich pickings. We're the last..."

"A Timelord," she mused, "but how can they bring anyone or anything back? The walls have sealed off."

"Must be a crack somewhere still, it happens."

"And if we find it, we can send them back, minus humans and...whatever."

"Yeah," a slow smile lit up his face, "I missed you, Donna." He took out his screwdriver, used it to open the door leading back down through the building and held out his arm to her.

"Can't say I missed you," she said, tossing her head, "come on then, it's bloody freezing up here. And just so you know, you're still not forgiven."

This time, though, she took the offer of his arm on the way down.


	6. Chapter 6

Alice was worried. She had not heard from Donna since the morning she'd left the hospital and now she felt really guilty for not staying there with her friend for the night. There had been that text to say she'd been discharged and then nothing. Her mother and granddad had also been very elusive on the phone, merely saying that she was out.

The whole thing was strange. Tony had commented in the pub that he'd been told Donna had gone travelling and now that she thought about it, she thought she'd heard that too. Maybe they had all discussed it. It was still just as weird as being in an accident. Donna had never been the "travelling" type. She'd never even thought about it. But yet, one way or the other, she'd drifted away from them and now that she was back, Alice realised how much they'd missed her.

She sifted through the letters in her hand, freshly delivered. Nothing of interest. Credit card bill, 'phone bill and a page of vouchers from her local supermarket. The bills were getting worrying. She'd lost her job in the aftermath of October when the building had been destroyed (no one seemed to have a clear recollection of how) and as the insurance companies were still arguing about whether or not such incidents were "acts of God", there wasn't much money going around. With a sigh, she opened her desk drawer and threw them all inside, just as a piece of paper caught her eye.

**Torchwood are recruiting!!**

**We are looking for enthusiastic and open-minded individuals who are as anxious as we are, to see the world informed, re-built, and healed from the events of last October. Could you be one of these people? Generous pay package; flexible hours. We can promise you an exciting job where no two days will ever be the same!!**

**Call this number for further information: 077 78946 37463**

Wow, Torchwood!! She didn't realise they actually advertised job positions!! But maybe after everything that had happened, they were no longer a secret. Certainly, no one she knew seemed to be able to move on from last October, whether for practical or other reasons. Even poor Donna who didn't even remember it. To be at the forefront of such an interesting project.

She pulled out the paper and examined it closely. It was a small, square leaflet and she didn't remember placing it in the desk. It wasn't something she'd forget about. But then again, her flat was full of newspapers since her job hunt had begun. It had probably fallen out of one of them.

She picked up her phone and dialled.

There was a very faint light in the sky as they left the bottom floor of the building. Donna looked around her carefully. Her head felt fine again but there was a slight feeling now, a sense that the pain could return at any moment. It didn't stop her flicking through the pictures in her head, feeling a child-like joy in the feelings attached to each one. How could she have forgotten? Something in my mind seemed to warn her when it was getting too much and then she would close her eyes for a moment and try and think of something mundane. Maybe this would be the way she could survive. Maybe her mind with all of its new abilities would protect itself.

"Captain," she heard the Doctor say warmly, as if from a long way off. She shook herself mentally and looked up to see Captain Jack approaching them.

"Doctor," he replied, smiling, then looked cautiously at her.

"So, what are we today then?" she asked, "doctor or detective? You weren't much good at either of them."

"Donna Noble, good to see you again, alive and well and in no danger of being kidnapped, locked up or psycho-analysed!"

"Just so you know, you're not a great stalker."

"So...you remember then?" He glanced at the Doctor and a flicker of something passed between them.

"Yes, she's remembered most of it now," the Doctor said, "and I've agreed not to interfere."

"Yeah, like that'll happen," Jack said, "so, what's the plan? There's a group of five of them down in a local market, very quaint, tucking into home-made cakes and brainwashing the sellers into telling their life stories. Not that it probably took much persuasion. It's a bit quiet down there at this hour of the morning."

"Why didn't you do anything?" Donna asked, "oh...yeah, you'd be valuable to them too, wouldn't you? 51st century...unable to die...he'd have seen all that, outside the cafe. That's why he didn't take you on. What?" Jack was looking at the Doctor, startled.

"You still have that...Timelord thing going on."

"Yeah, sort of." She shrugged.

"Come on," the Doctor said, "we've got work to..." He trailed off, looking at Donna who was staring at Jack.

"I'm so sorry," she said quietly to him, "about your brother, and what he did. It wasn't your fault, Jack. You were only children."

"What?" the Doctor asked. Jack was staring, as if unable to believe what he had heard.

"How could you know about that? There's only two people, besides me, and you haven't met either of them." Looking at the Doctor, he said, "my brother Grey, was abducted as a child...and tortured...all his life. He returned last year and I couldn't get through to him, to help him. He blamed me...for everything. He killed two of my team."

"I'm sorry," the Doctor said, seriously, laying a hand on Jack's shoulder. Then he turned to Donna, "I didn't know that."

"No," she agreed.

"You said, you knew everything that was in my head...before, in the TARDIS! But, I didn't know about Jack's brother. Think Donna, is there any other way you could have known?"

"No," she said, "I barely had a chance to talk to Jack before." More's the pity, she nearly said out loud but stopped herself in time.

"What's it mean?" Jack asked, still looking slightly shaken.

"Tell you later," the Doctor said, "come on, we have retrievers to retrieve!"

"What are they really doing though?" Donna asked after a while, "I mean, they must have heard about October from half the planet by now! What purpose does it serve? It can't be helping track you down, Doctor."

"I don't know," he said thoughtfully, "the energy I presume, all those emotions. No one really knows much about Atlantis, their Atlantis, I mean. Maybe the energy replaces something in their own atmosphere...something they need to survive."

"If that were the case," Jack said, "all we'd need to do is find a way to reverse what they're doing now. Take away their strength."

"It's more than that though," the Doctor said, "I've seen them in action before. Take what they want. Their attacks are swift and usually pretty brutal. I suppose they have to be, in the midst of chaos. They're taking their time here though."

"Could they be trapped?" Donna asked, "maybe they don't know how to get back and they're having to be careful, until they find out."

"No, it's not that. They suss out the disaster, you see, as soon as they get wind of it, then retreat back home until the danger's passed, then back again for the big collection! They know exactly where to go."

Donna's phone beeped and with a sign she pulled it out of her pocket. Alice's name appeared. Tenth one in three days, she thought guiltily.

"Donna, need to tlk 2 u. Answered ad in paper for job in Torchwood! Won't be around for a few days and need to know that ur ok xx"

"Oi!" she said indignantly, seeing the Doctor reading over her shoulder.

"Jack," he said, "since when does Torchwood advertise jobs in the Classifieds?"

Wilf sat down at the kitchen table with the paper. He couldn't settle to anything and although he could see Sylvia doing her best to look busy and focused, he could tell that she felt the same.

"I don't see why you had to call that man back," she said suddenly, "he'll get her in more trouble; he'll get her killed!" She started to cry.

Wilf got up and put his arms around her.

"It was the only thing I could think of," he said, "the Doctor saved her the first time and he'll know what to do. We can't help her at the moment, love. We don't know what we're doing and we could say the wrong thing."

"So could he!" she said fiercely.

The door bell rang and the two of them stared at each other, fearfully. Wilf rushed to open it.

A thin man with blond hair stood on the doorstep, smiling apologetically.

"Mr Wilf Noble?" he asked. Wilf nodded.

"I have some news from your grand-daughter, Donna. She couldn't come in person, you understand. The fact is, Sir, she's been arrested at the local station. If you come with me, I'll take you to her. I'm sure you'll get it sorted out very quickly."

Behind Wilf, Sylvia gasped.

"Who are you?" Wilf asked.

"I work with the Doctor," the man said, "he's trying to help her too. But we need to get her out of that police station."

"Come on, Dad," Sylvia said impatiently.

"Wait," Wilf held up a hand, "I never thought someone like the Doctor would have any problem getting a person released from a police station."

"Well, normally, no," the man said, "but this is a bit more delicate. You see..."

"We'll make our own way, thank you," Wilf said slowly, "thanks for letting us know."

The man stood very still and Wilf tightened his hold on the door handle, wondering if his and Sylvia's combined strength would be enough. Then he merely smiled and walked away.

"Dad! What are you doing?" Sylvia sounded outraged, "he knew something about Donna! She is in trouble!"

"And if she's in the police station, it's the safest place for her," Wilf said heavily, "there was something about his eyes, didn't you see it? He's not right."

"He could have led us to Donna!"

"It was a trap, love. If Donna's in any danger, we have to trust that the Doctor will get her out of it." He hoped he was right. The feeling of helplessness washed over him again as he spoke. There was something funny going on. The day suddenly seemed darker than it had.

"How can you still trust him?!"

"Because he cares about her. He said he was going to find her, and I bet he already has. Come on, try her number again, and then we'll try the police."

"It's pretty obvious, you know, if you know where to look," the Doctor was saying, "our Atlantis; oh yes! Perception filters, oh, and top of the range underwater equipment!"

Donna smiled. Much as she hated to admit it, his chatter was diverting her, keeping her from pulling thoughts of her head. Every so often, when they thought she didn't notice, she could see them glance at her, as if checking that she was still intact.

"Any luck?" Jack asked her.

She pulled out her phone and dialled Alice's number again.

"No, switched off. God, I hope she's ok. Hang on, what's going on here?"

They had reached the high street. The Doctor walked a little ahead, looking as far as he could see.

"Since when do Chiswick shops take mid-week half days?"

Up and down the street, every shop was closed. More than that, Donna noticed, some were boarded up with make-shift planks. A few plastic bags and papers drifted about and apart from that, there was so sign of movement. She shivered.

Jack walked up to one shop, peering into the window.

"There's shopping baskets on the counter. And the lights are still on. Someone's left in a hurry."

"Or not," the Doctor replied. He pointed up to a window over the next shop. A man and woman peered at them through a slit in their net curtains. They looked pale and terrified, even from a distance.

"What's happened?" Jack called up to them.

The couple seemed to consult each other for a moment, and then the man opened the window a fraction and leaned close to it.

"You need to get to safety," he called down, "if you don't live around here, go to the train station, or the underground pass. I think they're setting something up there. But get off the street!"

"Why?"

Now the two were staring at him incredulously.

"The robots," the woman hissed down, "look at the sky...the Earth has moved and we're being invaded!" She burst into loud tears and with a glare at them, the man closed the window and pulled the curtain tight.

"There's nothing wrong with the sky," Jack called back but there was no response.

"Have we travelled back in time, to October?" Donna asked.

"No," the Doctor replied, "this is their plan. It's brilliant...well, obviously not brilliant but...to them." He looked around him again while Jack and Donna exchanged confused glances.

"Don't you see?" the Doctor continued, "they've made everyone think that it's still happening. Well, not the whole world, I don't think they have the power for that. I wonder how far it goes. We'll have to get to the TARDIS. Everyone's hiding...they think they see planets in the sky. It's happening all over again, for them. "

"How?" Jack asked, "some sort of hypnosis?"

"Sort of. Hypnosis by telepathy. It's what they do. And now they're using it to hold a whole town to ransom. "

"Why? To get to us?"

"Partly," the Doctor replied. "What do you think, Donna?"

"An experiment?" she suggested, "or to just create the atmosphere all over again, pick off what they can while nobody's bothered. I have to call home". The dizziness was returning again and without thinking about it, she clutched the Doctor's arm to keep herself upright.

"I'm fine," she muttered when he glanced sharply at her. He nodded but kept the arm around her waist and she was glad of the support.

"Time's running out, isn't it, Doctor?" she heard Jack say quietly.

She looked up to ask him what he meant. Was there a time limit beyond which the people could not be saved, or the Retrievers sent home? But when she saw his face, she realised he was looking at her.


	7. Chapter 7

"What?" she said, "what does that mean?? Stop looking at me like that, both of you!"

Jack looked away but the Doctor said, "it means, we have to try to help you, and we don't have long. And there is a solution we can use right now."

"No," she said quickly, "you promised." She let go of his arm and walked ahead of them, trying not to look too closely at the deserted street but it was impossible. The traffic lights were still changing...signs were still lit up and from somewhere in the distance, there was the sound of frantic car horns and shouting. But in front of them, all was emptiness. She stepped out on to the road, looking into the distance.

"Give me your phone," the Doctor said, holding out his hand. She handed it over.

"Who are you ringing?"

"Your friend Tom, let's see what he has to say." The Doctor pressed the menu button on her phone and scrolled down for a moment before holding the phone to his ear.

"Is this happening everywhere?" Donna asked, "there'd be someone around otherwise...police...or psychiatrists?"

"Nah, can't be," the Doctor replied, still holding the phone to his ear, "they haven't got the technology for that...unless..."

"What?" Jack and Donna asked at the same time.

"If it's only in a certain radius, they have to be doing something to keep the rest of world _out_! They've been interfering with the television receivers, we know that! But it can't be..."

"The TARDIS," Donna said quietly. She had no idea how she'd come to that conclusion...it was a bit like remembering a half-forgotten dream. The Doctor looked at her and there was a slight look of triumph in his face, "well done, Donna!"

"You thought it was faulty because of what happened in the Crucible," she continued, taking a breath against a sharp pain through her forehead, "but it was them all the time. They've hacked into it; maybe ages ago, when the dimensions crossed each other. But they never forgot...until they found it here. It's multiplied their telepathic skills...and they'll do anything to gain access to it."

"Sounds about right," the Doctor said, "Donna, don't talk about Crucible, ok? And try not to think about it...tell me if you start thinking about it. You can't."

"Why?" she asked apprehensively.

"Just don't..." the Doctor said, "that's the point when you changed, and thinking about it in any detail puts you in danger. Your mind won't be able to handle it."

"How the hell am I supposed to control what I think about!"

"If anyone can, you can," Jack said, taking her hand, "look at me if you start dwelling on it, that'll distract you!"

Donna smiled, in spite of herself.

"So where is it, Doctor?" Jack asked, "the TARDIS?"

"Alleyway," the Doctor said, glancing at Donna, "three doors down from your house."

Without another word, they all started to run.

The TARDIS stood in the shade of a privet hedge in a nearby garden. Tom sat outside it, with the look of someone merely relaxing and enjoying the brief respite of sunshine from the miserable weather. On the wall surrounding the garden, nine men sat, deadly still and watching them approach. It was peculiar, Donna thought, they all looked different...hair colour, shape, build...but somehow.

"They look alike," she said as they slowed down.

"Yeah," Jack said, "it's like something from Children from the Damned."

"Not an unreasonable comparison," the Doctor muttered. The whole road looked creepy without another sign of human life. Up and down the street, curtains were drawn and doors shut tight. It was hard to know if people were still in the houses or if they had already fled. Donna ran up her front path, calling loudly,

"Mom! Grandad! Are you in there? Are you ok?"

"They're fine," Tom said, standing up. He looked appraisingly at the three of them, "they won't be able to come out though, for the moment."

"What have you done to them? You better not have hurt them!"

"Oh no, no one here is what you'd call hurt," Tom replied. "And whether they will be or not depends on your friend here." He indicated the Doctor, "pleased to meet you, Timelord."

"What do you want? This planet has nothing to offer you, and stealing between dimensions is...well, it's worse than Law in the Shadow Proclamation. We're talking Level 10 crime here."

"Between dimensions, Doctor, that's the point," Tom said, "there is no Law, no protocol. Our civilisation became the groundstone for all others, and not by choice. We're simply taking back what is rightfully ours."

"Answer my question then, what do you want?"

"In the beginning," Tom said thoughtfully, "not a lot, Doctor...I can call you Doctor, can't I? We came to see what this planet had to offer us, before the demise that never happened. As it happened, there wasn't much. We could add to our army but that was about it."

"They're just kids, not an army!" Donna shouted.

"Humans make great army personnel," Tom said, with a slight smile, "all that misplaced rage, all that sheer...savagery. Anyway, we had what we wanted...and then we heard of more interesting happenings...the beginnings of contacts with other planets...something that's not meant to be 

happening here yet, a figure cropping up all throughout the history of this planet...a woman with a brain that was anything but human," he glanced at Donna, "who could remember nothing of what had changed her. The death of a planet literally halted at the final second. Your machine here...it speaks to us, Doctor."

"How did you track me down?" the Doctor asked.

"Tell me Doctor," Tom asked, "are there many Timelords on this planet, or in this dimension even? Because the reports I've heard indicate you travel with humans." He gave a short laugh.

"I'm the last of them," the Doctor said.

"Ah," Tom looked at his comrades, "but our race is dying out too, Doctor. We travel in formations of ten. And each of us forms an army of ten from the armies we retrieve in other worlds. They are not like us but in time, they become like us. It is not enough, however. Someone with your knowledge, your experience of the universe could truly help us become great once again."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow.

"Do these guys speak?" Jack asked, nodding at the nine figures on the wall.

"I am the leader of this expedition," Tom said simply, "they do my bidding and bring me their information. When we are not leading, our duty is to do the bidding of our leader, nothing more. They'll speak if required."

"How did you do that to everyone?" Donna asked, "brainwash a whole town?"

"You couldn't understand that," Tom said, "our communication is real, verbal speech is nothing to us. Humans don't have the technology to resist us...it's like nothing you know. Well, present company accepted of course. You three aren't affected. We can see human thought waves and manipulate them because they are so unaware of them. Would you like to see your family?"

"Yes! But if you so much as look at them sideways, I'll..."

"Fine, watch." Tom glanced at her house. Donna could see something change in his eyes, so subtle it was hard to pinpoint. A moment of intense concentration, she thought. A moment later, her mother opened the front door and peered out cautiously.

"Mom!" Donna shouted. She could see her Granddad behind her, "are you both ok?"

"We're fine, sweetheart," Wilf said, stepping outside, "we're fine." His voice shook slightly as they put their arms around her.

"I don't know what's happening," her mother said tearfully, "Donna, please tell me you're ok."

"I'm fine," she said, breathing in the sight of both of them, "Mom, go back indoors, ok? Both of you, just sit tight and I'll be back soon. Everything's going to be fine."

"We're not leaving you, sweetheart," Wilf said, "whatever you're mixed up in, we're going to help you." He threw a quick sidelong glance to the street. Tom stood watching them, with Jack and the Doctor on either side.

"Go back in, please," she said, "The Doctor's here. I'm fine with him."

"You remember the Doctor?" Tears slid down her mother's face, "oh God! Donna, come inside. You need to stay quiet now. We'll take care of you."

"Mom, honestly, I'm ok." As she spoke, Donna could see Tom's face change again. She wondered if she was imagining it but she could feel slivers of something rush past them, energy perhaps, like small breaths. Her mother and grandfather stopped in their tracks.

"We've got to get inside," her mother said, "look at that sky! We've got to hide!" Wilf put an arm around her, "come on Donna!" he called, as they rushed back into the house. They didn't wait for her though.

"Stop it!" Donna shouted, "leave them alone. Bad enough that they went through it the first time!" She ran at him, incandescent with rage.

"Donna," the Doctor got to her first and held her back, "It's ok. They're not hurt and we'll help them. Just stay calm, ok?"

"Why aren't you doing anything?" she muttered, twisting to free herself.

"We are," Jack said, though he looked quizzically at the Doctor. Tom's companions had moved, at Donna's approach, to stand in front of them. Tom waved them away, whispering to them.

"You see, Doctor?" Tom asked, "I can convince them of anything. An army of desperate, frightened people. How dangerous would they be if we decided to channel all that terror? Or commit mass suicide even?" He looked at his companions and again, Donna could feel the wave of energy between them. She could tell from the looks on Jack and the Doctor's faces that they felt it too.

"Stop it," the Doctor said fiercely.

Before them, doors opened and people walked out on to the street, clutching each other and despite the air of fear amongst them, looking strangely empty, as if sleepwalking in the midst of a nightmare. More people joined them, coming from either end of the street in a slow procession. Heartsick, she watched her grandfather and mother stand amongst them.

"People!" Tom called out and they all turned to look at him, "these people here," he indicated Donna, Jack and The Doctor, "are the cause of these events. They are plotting your destruction even now!" A ripple of voices ran through the crowd.

"With the destruction of these three, you will once again be safe," he finished. There was utter silence.

"This isn't good," Jack muttered.

With a sudden surge, the crowd moved towards them. There are absolute fury in each face, fury born out of prolonged and absolute terror.

"Stop!" Tom raised a hand, "I need to find out what they are doing first. When I tell you, we'll finish them together." His companions moved to stand between him and the tense crowd of people.

"This isn't the entire population of the town," Donna said, "there's only a few hundred here."

"A few hundred is more than enough to rip us apart," Jack said, "I'm guessing no weapons allowed?" He looked at the Doctor.

"No," the Doctor said firmly. "The others got away, didn't they?"

"They ran, at the beginning, much like they might have before, " Tom said, "when the danger's over, they'll return. As yet, we haven't moved into the neighbouring area yet. All we want for now, is here."

"And that would be?" the Doctor asked.

"Kill them now!" someone shouted from the crowd. Two of Tom's companions moved forwards and the crowd fell silent again. The air was thick with tension.

Tom was looking at the Doctor, smiling calmly, "you, Doctor, we want you to come with us, and bring your machine. And I think you'll want that too."

"Oh yes, there's every chance I'll come quietly, " the Doctor said, "come on, Tom. You'll have to do better than that. A baying mob has never stopped me in my tracks before and it's not going to now."

"No problem," Tom replied, "you asked how I tracked you down and tuned into your machine. Recognise this?" He reached into his pocket and showed two items to the Doctor. Donna peered over his shoulder. One was a silver timepiece, like an old fashioned watch on a chain. The other was a small glass diamond with colours swirling within it. The Doctor was staring at them as if he couldn't quite believe his eyes.

"You do, don't you?" Tom said softly, "and now you know, Doctor, there are Timelords in our world. Confused and displaced...victims of war but Timelords all the same. Some who know they are Timelords and some who don't. Timelords who need a...mentor, shall we say, in order to re-establish who and what they truly are. They are in our power and you could help them. You could start a whole new empire, Doctor. And as long as we remain under your protection, we shall not stop you."

"Show me those," the Doctor's voice was strained. Silently, Tom handed him the items.

There was a long silence.

Donna and Jack glanced helplessly at each other and over to where every face in the waiting crowd stared back at them with utter hatred. She couldn't see if her family were there, and was suddenly glad of it. If they looked at her like all these others, she didn't think she could bear to see it.

Only the Doctor's cracking voice broke the silence.

"I'll come," he said.


	8. Chapter 8

_Just a quick pause to thank you all very much for reading and for the very encouraging and kind reviews. It's great to know people are reading and hopefully, enjoying. Hope you had a lovely weekend!_

"Doctor," Jack said, "think about this. You've only his word for it."

But the Doctor was staring at the items, looking strangely transfixed. He barely moved, even as Tom reached over and took them back.

"And you'll come with us, no fuss? You don't want anyone here getting hurt, do you?"

The Doctor nodded.

"Doctor!" Donna took his arm, "listen, Doctor, you can't just go with them. You've no idea where you'll end up. This isn't just another planet. You can't get back!"

"I know," he said quietly.

"What about me?" she asked, feeling her voice tremble, "you promised to help." Though actually he hadn't. "You said you'd think of something!" _I was depending on you_, she wanted to shout.

"You know all I can do for you," was all he said. Donna shook her head and walked ahead, hearing Jack taking over from her.

"Doctor, you owe Donna more than this. She's scared and she won't admit it."

"I'm not!" she shouted back. There was still no sign of her family inside the waiting crowd and although she had not wished to see them in the state they must be in, she now wished she could. All around her seemed to be angry faces waiting to pounce. _And the doctor ready to leave her without a word. Again._

"If there's Timelords there, I have to go," she heard the Doctor said, "it means they've survived, and they need me."

"We need you," Jack said.

But there was no reply.

Donna turned and faced them again.

"So what happens now, Doctor? Do you and Tom hop into the TARDIS and off into the sunset? Where exactly do you have to go? You don't even know that!"

"When the TARDIS goes through the breach, the energy will cause the breach to seal off the dimensions," the Doctor said, his voice expressionless, "you have to stand well back when that happens."

"Oh we'll be standing back," Jack said, "don't forget we have a few hundred people over there to contend with. What do you want us to do about them?"

"They'll revert back when we're gone," Tom said, "but only then. And we'll only be gone when the Doctor goes with us, so no tricks, or they'll all decide to jump off the nearest building. After getting their revenge on you of course. Oh, and the reverting back might take some time. And a bit of...what do you call it? Oh yes, psycho therapy? Our influence can take a while to shake off."

"What about the people who ran away?" Jack asked.

"They'll be back to normal by now," Tom said, sounding slightly regretful, "we had to have a border in case things got out of hand too soon. They'll find themselves wherever they got to, without any idea why they decided to go. Stuck in traffic for no good reason!"

"Where's the breach?" Jack asked. Donna could see that, behind his back, he had his phone in his hand. Or what looked like a phone.

Tom and his companions were walking in a group now, positioned around the Doctor.

"You don't need to know that."

"Doctor!" Donna shouted. But he never looked back. She felt Jack take her hand and squeeze it.

"Jack, he must be hypnotised," she whispered urgently to him, "we have to stop him going anywhere with them!"

"Either that or he has a plan," Jack said, "either way, we don't let them out of our sight, ok? Although..." He nodded ahead to where they were disappearing in the midst of the crowd.

"Come on!" Still clinging to Jack's hand, Donna pulled him forwards. The crowd who had merely parted silently when Tom led the others through, seemed to shudder at the sight of Jack and Donna appearing in their midst.

"Kill them! Kill them now!" a woman's voice screamed in panic.

"Yes," Tom said calmly, turning back to them, "these two mustn't be let leave."

"Run!" Jack shouted to her but Donna had frozen, staring at the Doctor who simply stared ahead. His face was blank and devoid of expression.

"Doctor!" she screamed again, "it's me, Donna! We need you!"

"Donna! Come on!" Jack was half-dragging her now as the people nearest to them made a grab for them. Donna felt her arm being grabbed, and a kick aimed to her ribs. With a free hand, Jack reached into his pocket and produced a small gun. He raised it and fired into the air. The crowd drew back slightly.

"Don't hurt my family!" Donna shouted, although she still couldn't see either of them, "Jack! They're going into my driveway!" She watched the strange procession turn and walk past her front door.

Then the crowd were upon her again. Donna felt herself dragged to her knees as dozens of hands held and shook her. A heavy-set man had Jack clutched firmly by his collar.

"Go on! Finish them!" a woman cried. Donna struggled to lift her head. It was Mrs Lacey, a shop-keeper who had known her since childhood.

"Mrs Lacey..." she gasped, "it's me, Donna! I was at your daughter's hen night, remember? Last September...I sat up with you and Mandy one night. We planned the wedding together!"

"Mandy's wedding..." the woman said, almost as if in wonder, "Donna?"

"Yes!" Donna shouted, "you were buying the flowers last October. You were worried about the caterers she chose!" Later, she thought, she might realise how surreal it was to hold a conversation about an upcoming wedding while simultaneously being lynched. Mind you, in their house-hold...

Mrs Lacey smiled slightly and Donna could see something change in her. Her eyes seemed to focus. She glanced at the sky and her body sagged in a sort of silent relief. She moved towards Donna, "let me help you up."

The moment was enough to distract her attackers for a second. Donna pushed her body forwards and fell against Jack as he punched the man holding him and drew back from the hands which held him. He pulled Donna to her feet and they ran into her drive-way.

"The back garden!" she panted, "they didn't go into the house!" She glanced worriedly at the windows, wondering if her family were still in there.

The TARDIS stood in the middle of her garden and the Doctor emerged from it, still looking determinedly straight ahead. Tom and the others were grouped around it and at the wall at the very back, Donna could see a sliver of orange light, in a straight horizontal line.

"Oh that goes beyond coincidence," Jack said, "the breach is here!" They huddled at the side of the house.

"I don't understand," Donna whispered, "why is always here, always to do with me?"

Jack was texting into his phone again, "I'll get Martha to get this breech up on the computer," he said, "the important thing now is, how do we stop them?" As they watched, Tom waved his hand in front of the line of light and it glowed and swelled, finally revealing a large, oval shaped structure. It wavered at the sides as if unsteady.

"I think I know," Donna said, "it was all around here because of me. Like the timelines. There was breeches everywhere but they came through this one and kept it open because it felt different. Because I was different."

"Be careful," Jack warned, glancing at her "keep the Timelord stuff to a minimum."

"We haven't much time," Tom was saying, "your machine will make it very unsteady, Doctor."

"We'll have to go together," the Doctor said, "and those items will need to be covered inside the TARDIS. Combined with it, it's too much energy."

"Fine," Tom said shortly. He handed the two objects back to the Doctor, who wrapped them carefully in a piece of cloth and went into the TARDIS.

"He's going to run off on them," Donna said triumphantly. But the Doctor came out again and stood beside them.

Beside her, Jack's phoned beeped and he looked at the screen.

"What?" Donna hissed.

"Who's there?" she heard Tom say sharply and before she had a chance to move, two of his companions stood in front of them.

"You don't know when to give up, do you?" Tom said, "Still I suppose, there's not many places you can run to at the moment." In the background, there was shouting and running footsteps. Looking for them, Donna thought with a shiver.

"Doctor, please!" she said desperately.

The Doctor turned slowly to face her. He looked into her eyes and Donna saw nothing but sadness in them, and...could it be fear? She tried to say something but her breath seemed to catch in her throat. Suddenly she felt terrified.

"Donna," the Doctor said hoarsely, "remember that moment, in the Crucible, when you touched my hand."

"Stop!" Jack yelled. He caught her by the shoulders, "Donna, don't think about it. Look...we're here at your home! Think about that! Don't...!"

_She touched the hand...the energy amongst the flames...the shapes arranging themselves..._

Her head was exploding. She bent forwards, pressing her fingers to her forehead, as if to ward away the pain she knew was imminent. But this time, it seemed more intense. Something was building up inside her and spreading outwards, a terrible, furious heat. She looked down at her body, almost expecting to see herself in flames. Her head was burning. She gasped for breath.

"Donna," She felt Jack kneel beside her and gather her against him, and then he drew back quickly, "what the hell?"

There was light coming from her...intense, hot and furious light. It blinded her and for a moment, distracted her from the burning. She gazed into it, feeling it take her away from physical sensation. There was movement around her but she was barely aware of it. Everything else had faded into shadow.

"The gateway!" someone shouted, and then "give Alice the signal!"

"Jack, behind you!" That was the Doctor's voice.

She fell forwards, welcoming the feel of solid growth beneath her.

"Too late!" someone else shouted.

A hand grabbed her arm roughly. There were shadows over her, but nothing could darken the brightness around her. There were footsteps, caught in some frantic dance.

"Get off her!" She heard Jack shout.

"You stole from us! You betrayed us! We'll kill them all, Doctor!"

"Doctor!" Jack's voice, "behind you! Get back!"

Shadows moving...she could hardly hear them now. She had to keep awake.

"Yes!" That was the Doctor, she was sure of it.

From the ground, she could see beneath the light now. The Doctor and Jack were pushing people onwards. They were all disappearing into light, she thought dimly, she was alone. She was dying alone. There was no more pain now, just light surrounding her, consuming her...

...and arms wrapping around her. A hand pressed itself to her head.

"Don't shock her," a voice said gently, "Donna, can you hear me?"

"Yeah," she whispered.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor said gently, "that had to happen, Donna."

She relaxed against him, unable to move. His hand seemed to push the light away and when physical sensation returned, all she felt was tiredness. The Doctor was stroking her hair.

"I'm really glad that worked," he said, "I hadn't got a Plan B."

"What _worked_ exactly?" Jack was shouting, "we're nearly torn apart out there. You nearly kill Donna and in case you've forgotten, an entire town wants to rip us to shreds!"

"Where did...?" Donna tried to raise her head, "where did they go? Tom?"

"The light blinded them," the Doctor said, "we pushed Tom through and the others...they were confused...we got them out as well. The breech nearly sealed itself up with that burst of energy. They couldn't afford to wait around."

"Donna nearly died so you could cause a distraction!" Jack still sounded furious.

"Jack," the Doctor sounded firm, "I need you to try and hold the crowd off for now. We'll work out how to fix them later. Leave me with Donna."

Jack said nothing. He was looking down at the two of them uncertainly.

"Trust me," the Doctor said quietly.

"I trust you," Jack said, sounding a bit desperate, "but you're not yourself, Doctor, things got very messy there."

"Just trust me," was all the Doctor said.

Donna twisted her head to look at him.

"Am I dying?" she asked.

"They're here!" a voice called, high-pitched and triumphant. There was a crack of wood and the garden was suddenly flooded with people.

"Get them! Don't let them move!"

Jack took out his gun.


	9. Chapter 9

"I didn't mean hold them off with that," the Doctor said.

Jack lowered the gun, though he didn't put it away. Donna struggled to a sitting position, the Doctor still holding her firmly.

"Donna, do you know any of these people? Is there anything you can talk to them about?" Jack called back to her.

Thinking of Mrs Lacy, Donna searched the faces in front of her. At the sight of the gun, they had stopped uncertainly but their eyes were desperate, beyond reason.

"No," she said.

"Remember what you knew about Jack?" The Doctor said, "You looked at him and knew something about him, something that had happened recently. Can you do that now?"

"I don't think so. I don't think I can do any of that now."

"Try. I'm here with you now; nothing will happen."

Donna stared desperately at the man nearest to her, middle-aged and wearing a suit, stained and bedraggled now. Nothing came to mind. She took a breath.

"Your son went to Australia before October," she said to him, hardly knowing what she was about to say, "he's coming back for Christmas. You re-decorated his room as a surprise." She saw it clearly when she said it, a room painted in a light green, a bed made, empty surfaces waiting to be occupied.

The man stared at her. His eyes changed, this time she could see the understanding flooding back and it made her smile at him, "see? Look at the sky; everything's ok now. You've got to go back home now."

"My son, yes," the man looked around him, "of course, he's due back." His face looked full of wonder.

"And you!" she looked at a woman beside him, small and pale, "you'd just done that interview, at the end of September. The team leader's position. You were waiting to hear..."

"My new job!" the woman frowned slightly and glanced around her, "God, I'd forgotten." She tugged the hand of the man next to her, "Derek, you were due to start too, remember?"

Donna turned slightly, looking at the people behind them. Alice, with a group of young people. Young people she recognised. They all looked blank and lost. Alice was holding a gun and it was shaking in her hand as she stared at Donna.

"Alice," Donna said, "in October, I don't know what you were doing because I wasn't here, but I can guess, right? The Lion's Den? Looking for jobs that won't bore you to tears? Reading sci-fi and going to psychics? And you," She indicated the young girl who had tried to warn her in the cafe, "you were due to get out of the detention centre in a couple of weeks. Your mother wrote and told you she'd left your step-father, and that she wanted you to come home to her."

"Donna," Alice breathed, looking around her.

"You were all living your lives before October," she said, "and now it's time to do that again."

Jack was playing a guessing game, she noticed. Running from person to person, and shouting names, random facts, calling into the phone to Martha who was undoubtedly shouting instructions into his ear. She smiled. Only the Doctor sat silently beside her.

"You've a family, right?" Jack shouted at a middle-aged woman beside him, "maybe out of town? Come to visit every so often? A son? A daughter? Old school friend?"

The woman paused and smiled softly at him, "a son," she said softly, "my son."

"Its working, Doctor!" Jack called.

"You lot!" The Doctor gestured to the group with Alice, "given the whole country's spent the last month hunting for you, you can make yourselves useful now. Go and talk to these people. Find some common ground! Tell them it's all over."

"But is it?" one girl asked urgently. The Doctor looked her in the eyes with such kindness, Donna felt tears come into hers.

"You're all quite safe now," he said, "I can promise you that."

"Donna, are you hurt?" Alice knelt beside her. Donna shook her head uncertainly.

"Alice, this is the Doctor, a friend of mine."

"Pleased to meet you, Alice," the Doctor said, "gone off Torchwood as a career then?"

Alice's eyes widened, "I don't really know what happened," she said hesitantly, "have we been...drugged, or something?"

"It's fear, only fear," the Doctor said, "someone's been taking advantage of the terrible things this planet has been through. You'll be fine, Alice." He smiled reassuringly at her. Alice looked at Donna and mouthed, "_is he only a friend?" _Laughing, Donna nodded and gave her their patented _I'll explain later _expression.

Slowly the crowd of people was getting smaller. On the street, she could see through the laneway that people were beginning to calm, to walk away. Some had caught on to the fact that talking about random life events seemed to help those who were still hysterical. Donna looked into each face near to her, marvelling at how a story or image could tell her something about that person's life, the young girl anxiously awaiting a call from a man she'd met on a ski-ing holiday, a young mother planning to return to work now that her youngest was settled at school... It was the strangest sensation she'd ever had, and given recent events, that was saying something. Some of the images she called out to Jack although now that the panic was all but over, it was kind of amusing to watch him guessing.

The Doctor hadn't moved from her side. He watched her, and she could see the worry on his face, even though he quickly disguised it when he saw her observing him. Maybe it was just that she'd 

made no attempt to get up and walk about. She tried to stand but once horizontal, she felt the world around her spin out of control. She staggered and felt the Doctor catch her and ease her back to a sitting position.

"What's wrong with me?" she asked, unable to disguise the fear in her voice.

"It's alright, Donna, don't worry. Just rest." His voice sounded distant.

The last of the crowd of people had left the immediate area. Jack was guiding some people across the now busy street and she could hear the first sounds of traffic on the road. In a house nearby, she could hear a radio playing. Everything was starting to sound familiar again. But something was different. Something was happening to her.

"What's this?" She raised her hand in front of the Doctor's eyes. But there was nothing to see.

"What?" he asked sharply.

"My hand... it was...like it was glowing...like my veins were glowing..."

"Donna..." the Doctor began, but they were interrupted by Jack running back towards them.

"Donna, I think I've found your mother and grandfather. One of your neighbours thinks she saw them near the High Street. I'm going to take a look, ok?" He looked closely at her, "are you ok?"

"Yeah," she said, "please make sure they're ok, Jack."

"Of course." He winked at her but his face was troubled as he turned and left.

Was her head starting again? She was so paranoid now that it was hard to tell. She drew a breath in sharply, feeling a faint heat, like a shadow of what she had felt earlier, beginning to gather behind her eyes.

"Donna," the Doctor was helping her stand, "we're going into the TARDIS, ok? Just lean on me." He half-carried her towards the open door.

Despite her fear, she felt herself smile at the familiar surroundings, instantly feeling safer. This was where she'd spent the happiest days of her lift. Unless of course...

She pushed the Doctor away and staggered backwards.

"You're not messing with my mind again!"

"No, 'course not," he agreed.

"Then tell me what's happening to me!" she shouted, "for once in your life, look at me and tell me the whole story, not just the little convenient bits and pieces! You can't control life and death, you know...oh..." She stopped and put a hand to her head, "maybe you can. Maybe I can. There's too much power...in Pompeii, what we did. Why did we have to decide that? It's all so...flimsy. All those worlds out there, and all these little events, little changes and turns, and whole worlds shatter as a result."

"Donna," he came over to her and put a hand on her shoulder, "I know. I feel it too."

"I meant what I said," she said tearfully, "I can't go back. Not after everything I've seen, and done."

"I know."

"The people out there...I could see their lives. All normal lives, and back before I met you, I might have envied some of them."

"Spend long enough travelling with me and you will. Normalcy is the one thing I've never quite achieved."

"I always thought monsters were monsters, you know? Like films and childrens' programmes. Like there was pure evil and you could decide you'd never be like that." She was babbling now, unable to stop herself, "but you showed me that anyone can become a monster and maybe not even realise it. You could destroy whole worlds and think you were doing the right thing. All you need is the right amount of power."

"I know."

"I always tried to do the right thing."

"Me too." He was smiling gently now.

She smiled back at him.

"That was the best thing my mother could ever say about me, you know, that I was a trier."

"I can think of a lot better things," he said, "and brilliant is about the least of them. I told you once, Donna, to be magnificent. And I should have known then, that you already were. Here," he unwrapped a piece of tissue in her hand and handed her the two items that Tom had had, "you've earned these."

She gazed at them, feeling a pulsing energy from them, almost like the heartbeat she remembered that day in the Crucible.

"What are they for?"

"This one," he pointed to the watch, "allows a Timelord to become human. It hides the Timelord identity until he opens it again. And this one is called a Counting Orb. When a Timelord travelled in a group, they could use these to locate each other. It would turn red in the presence of his fellow traveller." His face was sad as he finished.

"It's red now, sort of. Is that because of me?"

"Yeah, it can't make up its mind about you."

"That's a common reaction." She hesitated. "What about the Timelords in Tom's world? You wanted to go to them." She closed her hand about the objects and held them tight. The glow was surrounding her again. She could feel the heat gather itself around her.

"There weren't any," he said, "soon as he said they were under his control, I knew he was lying. Even if they were using the watch, no way could they be under anyone's control."

"How can you be sure? You looked pretty certain about going with him."

"He's telepathic, Donna, you have to look fairly certain to lie to someone with his kind of skill."

Unconvinced, she turned away, memorising the familiar scene, the buttons and dials, the soft whirring that promised lives and worlds she could never dream of. Worlds infinitely different and yet infinitely the same, with their nightmares, tyrants, destruction...the same struggles for survival.

"It's the same everywhere, isn't it?" she said softly, "the small kindnesses, the grief, and the love. They make it all worthwhile." She reached out and touched one of the controls gently, enjoying, as always the feeling of possibility it gave her.

"It's the most rewarding thing about travelling through time and space. Well, besides the running."

She opened her mouth to reply but the light was inside her, and pulling her inside of it in turn.

His eyes were fixed on her, full of concern.

Everything around her turned to shadow.


	10. Chapter 10

_A heartfelt thank you again for all the brilliant reviews. This story is almost over and I've really enjoyed writing it. I'm thinking of doing a few "continuations" if anyone thinks they'd like to read them. And again, thank you!_

_Once, she and the Doctor had travelled to a haunted house on the planet, Vira._

"_Alien ghosts?" she had joked._

_But they hadn't been ghosts at all. Just shadows. Shadows of a past so violent that anyone entering the house became consumed by them. Not dangerous shadows like in the library, but shadows that clung to you because all that they had once clung to was gone. Generations and generations had been affected by them. People entered the house and immediately wanted to leave it, and yet, overcome by curiosity, returned again and again to try to discover what lay underneath the shadows. Like a slowly healing wound, they picked and picked until the whole atmosphere become infected. It opened their own wounds. Some empathised so strongly with the pain, it drove them mad. Others closed their minds, unwilling to share what they felt._

_It was Pompeii she thought of it, when she and the Doctor first entered there. It brought her back to the very top of a city in flames. Over and over, he told her that there was nothing else they could have done. And somehow, the raw emotion emanating from that house had convinced her. Time and nature had made their choices. They could only happen again and again, pulling their scars and ghosts around with them. All anyone could change was their own personal future, which, in the Doctor's and her case from time to time, also happened to be the far-distant past. It was a sort of paradox and one, the Doctor told her, he had to learn to live with._

_She never knew what it was that the Doctor had felt, in that house. He stood beside her, his head high and his eyes dark. From time to time, he ran his hand over the surface of the walls in an almost unconscious gesture. Then he took her hand and led her out._

_There was nothing he could do here, he told her. This house served as a reminder._

_She looked back. A young girl stood, framed in a window, watching her silently..._

"Donna!" Someone was shouting her name, insistent and harsh. Her body felt like lead.

_She could see her own shadows now, circling around her. They floated over the smooth walls of the TARDIS and pulled her with them. Their hands clawed at solidity, looking for the night air, perhaps, the darkness they craved. She closed her eyes again._

No," she whispered, caught somewhere in the threads of her memories and unwilling to leave them.

"Come on, Donna," the voice was softer now, "open your eyes. Look at me."

_I'm waving at fat?!_

She didn't want to wake up. What if she opened her eyes and saw just...her own room, her window, no memories...back to trailing the streets and looking up at the sky, unaware of what she'd lost? She pressed her hands over her ears.

"Donna..." A hand pulled hers away from her face, "look at me. You're safe."

"Doctor," she clutched his hand, "Jenny's still alive. I saw her. On Vira. She looked at the house and she knew you'd been there. How did she know that?" Her voice was cracked and hoarse.

There was a long silence.

"Donna, come on. You've got to wake up now."

With effort, she opened her eyes again and struggled to focus them. The Doctor and Jack were sitting beside her. Not her room. Just their faces. And the TARDIS; she was still in the TARDIS and she still remembered it. And a blinding headache.

"Yes!" the Doctor looked ecstatic. She wanted to hit him.

"What the hell are you so happy about? I feel like..."

"You did it, Donna!" He put an arm around her and drew her upwards, "you're alright!! Oh well done!!"

"Did what?"

He looked at her closely as if checking that she was really in one piece.

"You regenerated!"

"I what...?"

"Regenerated, just like me. Remember? Here? After the Dalek?"

"What?" Groggily, she held up a hand in front of her face, "am I different?"

"No, still your own cheerful self," he replied happily, "it wasn't enough of a regeneration to do that. No, don't get up yet..." She had struggled to sit, "you'll need to rest. It was enough to save you though!"

"I don't understand," she said, "why didn't I know? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I couldn't," he said seriously, "it was always going to be tricky and if you knew, your mind would force it to happen, before you were ready, or try to resist it. You see, when I found you on that rooftop and you collapsed, I felt it then. Your body was trying to regenerate. But I couldn't let you. Your Timelord powers were just a part of my genetics; it wasn't enough. And a regeneration gone wrong is...well, it's not good. I remember this one time when I..."

"Tell me that bit later."

"Ok, well, we came down from the roof and you looked at Jack and knew something about him, something you couldn't have known any other way. Donna, that's a really unique Timelord ability. There's only a handful who were ever able to do that."

"Can you?"

"Sort of...well...now and again...well, once or twice. Anyway, you could do it. And then I realised...the Timelord genetics inside you were changing and evolving with your body, becoming independent of me, so to speak. It was still too much for your mind. But they were also giving you a chance to remember...and survive. You just needed help and once upon a time, we could help Timelords who had problems regenerating, if there were enough of us; which of course there aren't now. But then, I saw these."

He pointed to the two items still clutched in Donna's hand.

"Donna, these objects contained energy from other Timelords, long gone, of course. But it was all still there. And when I reminded you about the Crucible, it worked off enough of the energy to let the regeneration begin. We sent it through the breech and that closed it and kept it away from you. These and the TARDIS and me; they were enough to absorb the rest of it to help you regenerate. Do you understand?"

"Not really," she whispered, "but, yeah, I get it."

"I couldn't let the Retrievers see that they were important to me, that I wanted them. So I let them think it was what they represented." He ran his finger over the metal of the watch.

"You must keep these with you, and never open the watch."

"Why?"

"So, is she still part Timelord?" Jack asked.

"No, that part of you is gone. It all went into the regeneration process and as it was destroying you, it had to go."

Donna looked at the watch, feeling close to tears.

"Is that not good?" Jack asked her softly. She was silent, turning the watch over and over.

"I s'pose," she said finally, "it just...for a moment there, it nearly felt worse than being dumped at the altar for a giant spider!"

"It was killing you," Jack said, "every time I looked at you out there, something was dying in your eyes."

"Yeah, I know." She sat up slowly and stood, trying to access how she felt. Her mind did feel a bit different, she thought. For the first time, her memories felt accessible, not like an untidy shelf of books where she had to search for the one she wanted. But it also felt like a machine had been switched off in her mind, as if a sound she had grown familiar with had ceased. She walked around the TARDIS, remembering the brief moment of understanding absolutely everything about it.

"You'll still have some abilities that are a bit...unique," the Doctor said, "genetics are a funny thing."

"Everything's calm out there," Jack said, "I think they all believe it was some kind of mass hysteria, brought on by the trauma of October. Last time I looked, there were tv cameras and all sorts of high-profile therapists!"

"My family?" Donna asked.

"Oh they're inside the house. I didn't know what was happening when I brought them back and you two were gone so I told them you'd gone to sort things out with the police. Doctor," he looked seriously at the Doctor, "I apologise for doubting you."

"I'd be worried if you hadn't," the Doctor said.

"Can I go in and see them?" Donna asked.

"Wait a little while. Just until the last of the energy is absorbed into the TARDIS. It just ensures that you're 100 alright." He frowned slightly, "are you?"

She smiled, feeling suddenly more solid than she had in weeks. She had felt for so long, as if she were merely drifting along. "Yeah, I'm alright."

"And that isn't some sort of Timelord code for really not alright at all?"

"No." She came back to sit beside them, "although, it's not that you're boring me or anything but I really could sleep now."

"Yeah, course you could. Completely understandable."

"You'll be here, won't you? You're not...going anywhere?" She bit her lip, not really wanting to ask anymore just yet, in case she wasn't ready for the response.

"I'll stay with you." He took off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. "You'll feel a bit funny for a while...takes a lot out of you. Sort of like a hangover multiplied by about 100."

"Yeah, like you'd know," she murmured drowsily, drifting off to sleep with the sound of their voices drifting peacefully around her.


	11. Epilogue

"I'll stay with you." The Doctor took off his jacket and wrapped it around Donna's shoulders. "You'll feel a bit funny for a while...takes a lot out of you. Sort of like a hangover multiplied by about 100."

"Yeah, like you'd know," she murmured. Her voice was already drowsy. Jack frowned slightly, watching her drift into sleep, so easily, like a child. He envied anyone who could do that, without the initial and sometimes hours-long onslaught of dreams and memories, timeless and persistent. Somehow he wouldn't have pictured Donna as someone with that level of peace of mind either. There was something about her, even without the whole Timelord thing. A restlessness.

"Is she really ok now?" he whispered to the Doctor.

"Seems to be," he whispered back, "who'd have thought it? Just...her old self. Well..." Together they watched as Donna's face changed. She muttered something inaudible and one of her hands clawed for a moment, at the empty air.

"With a few added nightmares perhaps."

"That's no one's fault," Jack said firmly, "anyway, if she wasn't having them about...recent events, she'd be having them about filing and databases and bosses with roaming hands!"

"What would you know about any of that?"

"About the same as you," Jack said, "although the boss angle is something..."

"I think I've heard enough," the Doctor said quickly.

"So, what now?" Jack asked, "You have company again."

"I don't know, Jack." Jack watched his old friend get up and circle the TARDIS, his eyes unfocused and deep in contemplation, "they never realise the danger; that even if they survive it, their lives change. And they'll settle again to a normal life, even if they can."

"I don't think Rose or Martha or Sarah-Jane and definitely not Donna would change a thing about that. Come on, Doctor! Don't be a martyr! Donna's good for you anyway. She takes no nonsense!"

"No, she doesn't," the Doctor smiled slightly, "thanks for watching over her. I really should have done that myself...but I was afraid, if she recognised me..."

"No problem," Jack said, pretending to believe him. Martha had been so shocked on hearing of Donna's predicament. Alone and defenceless without her memories, and the Doctor gone.

"He should at least stayed nearby for a while. Or set her up with something, some kind of a life. He did it for me," she had said. Jack had said nothing. He wouldn't have told a soul about that moment of finding the TARDIS outside the Torchwood Hub on the night after they all parted company. He had come close then, as close as he hoped he ever would, to know what watching two hearts break might be like.

"_Just some repair work," the Doctor had said cheerfully, "and I thought, maybe I could fancy some company. Celebrate our triumph...sort of thing." His eyes seemed to burn, as if captured in the _

_reflection a fierce, invisible flame. Jack understood the aftermath of such so-called triumphs. The name-taking, he used to call it. _

"_You left them back then?" He had asked, almost afraid to mention Rose's name._

_The Doctor nodded._

"_And Donna? That can't be good." He didn't know much about Timelords and he didn't know Donna well, but he knew enough to know that the new version of her couldn't sustain itself for very long._

"_No," the Doctor said, "had to erase her memories." He closed his eyes briefly, as if shutting away an image to the back of his mind. His eyes fixed on Jack as if pleading for absolution, or maybe looking for after all, what was usually Jack's reaction to stories of people having their memories modified. He had suffered; he had raged and searched and wondered, and there was no doubt Donna would do the same. _

_Wordlessly, he had gestured the Doctor inside. _

The others had been so pleased to meet him in person and amidst all the banter of the night, the last rushes of adrenaline and wonder, he had seen glimpses in private moments, of a real and terrible grief. When aware of Jack's scrutiny, the Doctor had quickly smiled and engaged them all in conversation but the fact was that the greatest presence amongst them were those who were absent.

Where the Doctor had gone after that, he had no idea. But he hadn't questioned it. After all, even the Doctor needed space. And he and Martha had guarded Donna as best they could, stood by her bedside like parents over a sick child, reliving her lost memories for her as he would have liked to relive his own...

He opened his eyes suddenly, realising that he must have slept. The Doctor was standing by the open door and he could see that it was still night.

"Don't you ever sleep?" he asked.

"I could say the same about you," the Doctor replied, "it's only been about half-an-hour!"

Donna twisted restlessly now in her sleep, a frown creasing her brow, as if she was trying to solve an impossible question. The Doctor came over and patted her shoulder gently.

"We should take her inside," he said to Jack, "she might rest easier in her own bed."

"Ok," Jack stood up and together they eased Donna out of the TARDIS.

"You know," he said when they got back outside, "she might rest easily in her own bed now but tomorrow, you better be ready for her. She'll be up and packed."

"Already is," the Doctor said, "her belongings are all in the TARDIS."

"So? She'll be going with you."

"I don't know," the Doctor said firmly, "I'm going to convince her to stay. She has potential for so much here, right now, in her own life. It's better for her this way."

"Yeah, I'd like to see that convincing," Jack laughed, "she'll be going with you! And I'm going to head off now too. Tell her I said goodbye."

"She'll want to talk to you properly, to thank you."

"Well, I'm sure I'll be seeing you both before long." Jack saluted him.

"Doctor! Until next time,"

"Captain." Jack turned and walked away.

"Jack! How are you getting back?"

Jack kept walking.

"You better not have that Teleport working!"

Jack pretended not to hear.

She woke in her own bed. On it, in fact, rather than in it. She sat up, trying to remember how exactly it was that she had gotten there. She was fully dressed and even still wearing her shoes. Outside, it was still dark but there was a faint morning light creeping across the sky. Beside her, her phone flashed and she picked it up. Ten text messages. Five missed calls. Tony wondering if she was alright. Louise telling her that really weird things had been happening and she'd give her a ring in a while. After reading four of them, she left the phone on the bed, got up and prowled restlessly around the room for a moment. Everything was as it should be. Outside, there was no sound except a very distant murmur of traffic. Picking up her phone again, she headed downstairs.

Her mother and grandfather were in the kitchen, talking in hushed voices. When they heard her, they both came out to the bottom of the stairs.

"Sweetheart, are you alright?"

"Donna! How are you feeling?"

Her mother was hugging her tightly and she could feel her grandfather pat her back gently.

"I'm fine. Are you ok?"

"Donna...we were so worried."

"I know. Granddad, are you ok?"

"I'm fine, love," he said, "happy to see you looking better, and I'm not the only one." He nodded back down the hallway. Tentatively, Donna glanced down the hall and walked slowly to the kitchen.

"I'm Donna," she said, holding out her hand. She watched his eyes widen and his face stare at her, startled.

"John Smith, isn't it?" But she couldn't keep a straight face.

"That's not funny, Donna," the Doctor said. He looked at her closely, "how are you?"

"Yeah, ok," she said, "you?"

He smiled, and not for the first time, she noticed how utterly out of place he looked standing in the midst of a domestic situation. There was no reason for it. He looked perfectly human, for someone who was anything but. But somehow, you could just look at him once and know he didn't belong there. Maybe that was the normalcy that was never going to be possible for him. The normalcy of a life he had once had was all gone. And other peoples' made him feel uncomfortable.

"Donna Noble," he smiled suddenly, regarding her, "you defied just about every medical fact that I ever knew about Timelords...and possibly humans, come to that."

"So," she filled the kettle and leaned beside him against the sink, "you didn't really know that it was going to work, that Regeneration."

"Hadn't a clue," he looked away from her, "but somehow, knowing you, I had a feeling you just wouldn't give up, even if the whole universe ordained that you couldn't survive."

"Well..." She handed him a coffee, and laughed, "this is just too weird, Doctor. We're drinking coffee in my kitchen and talking about...the universe!"

"Would you rather we went outside?"

"You know what I mean." She sat at the table with her own coffee. But she couldn't sit still. She got up and peered around the door but her mother and granddad must have decided to make themselves scarce for a while. That was a first. She wandered around the room, straightening things. The calendar on the wall had a red circle around today's date. Another interview. She couldn't quite remember who it was with but it should be happening in about an hour's time. She stared at it.

"Donna? I don't like it when you go silent."

"My mother used to say the only peace she got was when I was asleep." Donna turned around to face him, "Doctor, do you..."

"Go on."

"Do you want me to come with you again...travel with you?"

For a second, he didn't move. She lowered her head.

"Donna," he came over to the table and pulled out a chair for her, "come and sit down." She didn't move.

"Do you want to come?"

"What do you think? Of course I do!"

"Even though you know...the danger it can put you in. Especially now. You'll be a bit fragile for a while."

"Oi! I'm not fragile!"

"No, ok...wrong wording. But Donna, your life is here. You could do great things here. The potential is all there."

"But I'm not a Timelord anymore. Is that why you don't need me?"

"That was never where your potential came from. Knowledge is useless without empathy, and respect and kindness and that little extra spark of human." He was smiling now.

"So take me with you...if I don't know things instinctively anymore, then I want to learn them!"

"Donna..." He held up his hands in a mock gesture of defeat. "Of course you can come. I'd love you to come with me. I just need to make sure you understand...I don't intend to put people in danger. But it happens. And not every situation can be fixed, no matter how hard I try."

"I know that." She could hear raised voices from the sitting room now. Her mother came storming up the hall.

"Donna! If I heard what I think I just heard..."

"Yeah you did, Mom," Donna said, "I'm going with the Doctor again."

"You're going with him again. Just like that. Months we've been worrying about you...first, when you're gone with no way of contacting you. Then when he brings you home and tells you could die at any moment! And now, you're off again!"

"Look, I'm not doing this to..."

"You're alright now, Donna, I can see that. And we're sorry that we had to lie to you and confuse you. Yesterday...when we were so afraid...I keep thinking, maybe this is how you've been feeling these past months. But it was for your own good, and maybe now that you're alright, it's time to stop wandering. Think about a future, a good job."

"This is my future!"

Her mother was glaring at the Doctor now. "And you! You said you'd leave her be. Was it all your doing? Yesterday?"

"No!" Donna shouted, "He saved you all. And me! Again! So what about a bit of gratitude?"

"Donna, really, no need," the Doctor made a slightly frantic signal for her to simmer down. He looked on the verge of running.

"Mom...I don't mean to worry you." Donna sighed. Behind her mother, she could see her grandfather smile at her.

"Love," he touched her mother's shoulder, "she's not a child. If this is what she wants, then that's fine. You couldn't really imagine her working in an office again, could you? Not after all she's seen out there." He turned to the Doctor, who looked as if he wished he was anywhere else, possibly including even the Dalek Crucible, than in that kitchen.

"I need a solemn promise, Doctor, that you'll do everything in your power to keep her safe."

"Of course I will," the Doctor said.

"I'll stay in touch more, this time," Donna said quickly, wishing she could somehow erase the frustration on her mother's face. Somehow the two of them seemed to spend their time reaching to each other and hurting each other, yet never talking about it openly. Without her grandfather there, she wasn't sure what their relationship would end up like. The thought made her want to cry suddenly. Maybe the Doctor sensed it. She felt his hand take hers gently and squeeze it.

"I'm sorry, Mom," she said, "but I have to go. You need to understand that."

Her mother nodded, and Donna put her arms around her, clinging to her for a moment. She could feel her mother's arms tighten around her. Wilf hugged them both.

"Thanks Granddad," she whispered, "for bringing him back."

With a last wave, they walked outside into the cold morning air and towards the TARDIS. Donna walked in first, relishing that first moment of pure possibility.

The Doctor followed her in and raced to the controls, his hand pausing over them. He grinned at her.

"So, where to?"

_Thanks so much for reading, everyone. If anyone's interested, there will be a follow-up coming soon!_


End file.
